Show and Tell

Mr. & Mrs.

Here is another card from my stamp club's image swap. Kathy brought this image to share — a floral-y rectangle — and it screamed wedding present to me. I must have weddings on the brain. :)

I saw the set this image is from when I was browsing through the new Stampin' Up catalog. It's from the set, Clearly for You, in case you want to look it up.

 

 

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I elevated the present by placing it on the cake pedestal from Crazy for Cupcakes. Isn't it kinda fun to selectively ink your stamps and come up with something new and different? :)

You can't see it well on the card — it's tucked in under the ribbon — but there's a little bitty Mr. & Mrs. tag on there. And that's what makes me think wedding card... or anniversary, I suppose. Change out the tag and it could be most any gift-giving occasion. It's still hard to see even in the close-up picture at the right... I guess you'll have to practice your visual figure-ground skills to take a closer look.

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Crazy for Cupcakes, Tiny Tags); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (Night of Navy); patterned paper is from Basic Gray; ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black) and SU (Always Artichoke, Night of Navy); also used PTI's Parisian Doily die, SU's water color pencils and Tiny Tag punch, plus a Sizzix embossing folder (Tropical Paisley).

I know that I said I wasn't going to be chatty this week, but I did do some around the house cleaning today so I thought I'd post pictures — mainly in the hope that sharing will keep me motivated. 

 

Of course, it would be more impactful if I'd photographed before cleaning, but you don't need to see that. It was pretty scary. It's bad enough that two of our bathrooms are a bit torn up, getting new tiles, vanities, etc. But we'll finish them eventually. :) And at least they're clean now.

Well, I best get back to all the household projects that are awaiting me. Hope to see you again tomorrow for another card that I made for our stamped image swap. Thanks for stopping by for a little visit. I love hearing from you! 

with sympathy

We needed a sympathy card this week. Here's what I came up with using this week's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You, Laura's 54.

 

 

 

 

 

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I had a terrible time getting a picture of this card — tried at different times over three days and this is the best of the bunch. Clear just wasn't meant to be, I guess. But — hopefully you can still tell how gorgeous that ribbon is. And, although it's not perfect, I really like the way the Perfect Pearls came out on those flower stamps. I've had the Perfect Pearls set for a long time and I think my problem was that the adhesive included had turned into a gummy, mushy mess — and I used it anyway. Haha. Sometimes I wonder at my intelligence. I'm thinking that the pearly powders would probably work with VersaMark, too, so I'll try that next time. Anyway, I hope it's not too bright and fancy for a sympathy card. I think it'll be OK. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (December 2009 Kit of the Month - delightful moments, February 2010 Kit of the Month - Nothing but Blue Skies, Bevy of Butterflies); cardstock is from Stampin' Up (Old Olive, Bermuda Bay) and Papertrey Ink (Kraft); ink is Encore Ultimate Metallic (Copper); ribbon is from Michael's; also used PTI's woodgrain impression plate, SU's 1-1/4" circle punch, and Ranger's Perfect Pearls (Metallics).

For the past 19 days I've said something here about my Flylady journey. Are you getting tired of it? I kind of am — there are other things I'd rather talk about — but here we go with Day 20. So, yesterday I was supposed to add laundry to my daily routine. I have a pretty good laundry routine already — really thanks to my previous Flylady phase. It is one thing that stuck. Even though there are only two of us now, I still do a load of laundry most days. It just seems more manageable that way. And, we always have clean clothes. And no big piles of dirty clothes, towels, etc. Besides — laundry became a lot more fun when we remodeled a couple years ago.

Our laundry area is in a short little pass-through hallway on the first floor. Originally the washer and dryer were behind louvered bifold doors with a wire shelf above the appliances. Handy for detergent, but not in the least bit attractive. And louvered doors are dust-catchers. Well, maybe not for people who keep up with the housework... but for me? Not good. When we got the new washer and dryer there was no way they were going to be stuck behind doors of any kind — way too pretty for that. So we had cabinets built around them. Now the pretty stuff is out in the open and the other stuff is behind doors. Works beautifully. And — there is a crowning touch...

Wanna make laundry fun? Hang a chandelier in your laundry area. :)

One more thing for today — well, yesterday actually. Last night I went to my one neighborhood swim meet of the year. When our kids were young we spent many hot, hot summer evenings on the steamy pool deck watching our kids compete in summer swim league. Or huddled in neighborhood clubhouses waiting to see if thunderstorms would pass. Well, for the past several years I've started attending one swim meet a year — when our neighborhood swims the neighborhood across the big road from us. Our preschool draws pretty heavily from these two neighborhoods, so I get to see lots of "our" kids swim. And former students, too.

These three all happened to be eager-beaver swimmers — just couldn't wait to get on the blocks. They also all happened to be on the other team. But, that's OK. I'm really cheering for individuals now — not a team. If you were to click on the middle picture you'd see that she's got a smile on her face. I think she smiled the whole way across the pool — employing her own style of swimming. A few strokes freestyle... get tired... flip to back and do backstroke for a bit to recover... turn back to the tummy... Just so cute. But the best part of going to a swim meet now? I can leave after the shrimps (6 & under) swim. :)

I think that's enough for today. I have more I want to tell you, but I'll save it for tomorrow. I had the absolute best morning today. It involved item number 10 from yesterday's list of random things about me — so you know it was a beautiful morning around here! I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Now I've gotta get ready to go out. We were invited to Katie & Michael's wedding rehearsal dinner at Maggiano's. Mmmm. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you've had a fabulous day! See you tomorrow with Katie & Michael's wedding card and more of my usual prattle. Have a great evening!

  

many thanks, simply

Word of warning. This will be long. Just so much in my heart today. First of all, some cards, though. Then if you don't care you can easily skip past all my scattered thoughts.

I have several end of the school year thank you notes to write and thought it would be nice to have some fast to make and flat to mail notecards. A couple years ago I purchased a box of pre-scored notes when a paper store was going out of business. They're not really cardstock. More like a heavyweight paper with a slight texture. Nice, but not what I usually work with. Anyway, the box was sitting out on the floor of my craft room along with a tray full of shapes I'd previously punched from scraps — and that's how these cards came about.

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I made five cards lickety-split, just mixing and matching my punched circles and gluing them to the card front.

Some of my glue spilled out from under the edges on a few cards and doesn't look that great, but I'm still going to send them. I'm thinking they're not really masterpieces and will most likely end up in the trash by the end of the week so why be wasteful and do them over? (I actually think that's just rationalizing sloppy work and that sort of attitude gets one nowhere fast — but, forgive me, I'm going with it this time.)   

AND TELL:  stamps is from Papertrey Ink (Fillable Frames #1); pre-scored notecard purchased from a going-out-of-business store; ink is from PTI (True Black); patterned paper scraps punched with Stampin' Up's circle punches (1", 3/4", 1/2").

Now, back to the whole rationalizing attitude. I've gotten myself in plenty of pickles by rationalizing things away. You know. I'm busy. I don't have time. I'm tired. I can do it later. Who cares. Well, it's better than most people would do. Nobody's watching. No one will know. Everybody does it. At least I'm not as bad as so-and-so.

Over the past several months I've let lots of stuff slide. And, I mean LOTS. Relationships. The house. Time with the Lord. Hmm. No wonder I've felt like I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere. So, this has to be the summer where I retake control of my life. Or, better yet, let the Lord retake control.

A few months ago, one of the teachers at work gave me a devotional called Jesus Calling. I'm embarrassed to say that I carried it back and forth to school in my bag for weeks — almost forgetting it was there. I didn't crack it open. I didn't even open and read the note that she had given me with it. Ashamedly, I haven't even acknowledged the gift yet. But I will. Something is telling me that this is going to be an important part of my summer. Jesus has been calling me and I've been ignoring Him. Unless it's been convenient for me. Or unless I've needed something. That has to change. I need to spend quality time with my Savior.

I have a pretty lengthy list of songs that I've been wanting to download from iTunes and have been chipping away at it by purchasing several each week. Some of the songs are written on the edges of old church bulletins — songs we sang during worship that I was particularly drawn to. Today I decided to clean out my Bible and notebook of all those random pieces of paper, but — of course — I couldn't throw them away unless I bought the songs. :) This song, below on YouTube, seemed especially appropriate for the place I'm in right now. I think this might become my most played song this summer — my anthem.

 

In another vein, I've got to get this house back in order. This will be no surprise to those who know me well, but I'm sure certain people (Ken, my mom, his mom, a few friends...) may be horrified that I'm going to share it publicly: I'm no housekeeper. Of course, I love a clean house. I like things to be neat and tidy and sparkling clean. Apparently I don't like it enough to make it happen, though. I get distracted, let things go, rationalize, and before I know it the whole task of cleaning up is completely overwhelming.

I was doing pretty well for quite awhile. Some years ago a friend "introduced" me to Flylady and by following her advice I was able to get a fairly decent handle on things. But — I've fallen back into my old ways. So, I figure it's time to reintroduce myself. But I need accountability. So, for those of you who are little self-disciplined energizer bunnies, none of this will make any sense and will probably seem laughable. But for someone like me — I've decided I must have adult onset ADD or something :) — a program of baby steps works. So, instead of being embarrassed, I'm going to embrace it. (Haha — I just reread all that "but...", "so...", "but...", "so..." Quite funny, the way I talk...) Anyway, I'm going to do her Beginner BabySteps for the next 30 days. Or, that's the plan. We'll see how it goes.

Yesterday was Day 1. Shine Your Sink. I didn't take a "before" picture (be thankful). This is the "after".

The left side is a little scratched, but shiny nonetheless. Progress in baby steps. That's what I'm hoping for. That and to make these habits stick for the rest of my life. I don't like feeling out of control and disconnected from everything that's important.

So — I guess you get to go on this journey with me. Or not. You could just look at the cards and move on. Because, really, all this other stuff is for me. So I have a record. And maybe to inspire someone else who's in a similar place. Surely I'm not the only one who doesn't have it all together.

My summer verse:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Yep. It's time for me to move forward.

I plan to be back tomorrow with another card (and a report on Day 2). Hope to see you then!

Cupcake Wishes

Yes, I am wishing for a cupcake about now — but I'll just have to settle for a cupcake card. My thighs are thanking me.

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This week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems is great for the person who is not impressed by a lot of fussiness on their cards. If you hold true to the sketch and don't add a lot of layers and embellishments, it's pretty clean and simple. It would make great masculine cards, I think. I wouldn't call the card I made masculine, but it'll be a good one to give to a girlfriend who's not very froo-froo.

As you see, I have been having fun with my Cricut lately. I still have a few more things that I cut out earlier this week, too. I'll probably share them before Easter. So — stay tuned. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Fancy Flourishes, Mega Mixed Messages); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Confetti White, So Saffron, Dusty Durango, Close to Cocoa) and PTI (Dark Chocolate, Kraft); patterned paper is Sassafras Lass (Cherry Delicious: Sapphire); ink is PTI (Dark Chocolate) and VersaMark; button is PTI (Pure Poppy); also used A Child's Year cartridge for the Cricut.

Early last week I showed pictures of the flowering trees around town. Later in the week I was working away on some cards and glanced out my window to notice that our flowering cherry tree in the backyard was in full bloom. I have no idea when it started blooming — that's how unobservant I am. Since it's my favorite blooming tree, I felt a little guilty not noticing it and enjoying it earlier. Here's a picture I took that (cloudy, rainy) day.

I should really take another picture today, because right now the sun is shining and the sky is that gorgeous Carolina blue. And the tree is still, a week later, completely filled with pink blossoms. So pretty.

Hope you're having a wonderful day full of sunshine, blue skies, and maybe even flowering trees, too! Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you again soon. 

HI

Warning, warning! This will be a long post. We have cards. We have a devotional. We have some home stuff. And, I think we'll go in that order.

My blog friend Kelley has been posting lots of cards that she calls bucket cards. Hers are ones that for whatever reason (NOT because they aren't excellent cards!) have not be accepted for publication. Well, inspired by Kelley, I have piles of cards that I made before I started blogging that I thought I'd share every once in awhile. And maybe I'll make a new card either using the same technique or the same stamp set to share at the same time. That's what I'm doing today.

First of all, here are the older cards that were all made using a Stampin' Up set that included four blocks with a full alphabet on each one.

Must've been in a pink mood when I made those. I do remember being so excited when I realized that "h" and "i" were next to each other in the alphabet. Perfect for "hi" cards!

Hmmm. I think I'll go into the devotional now before I show the new "hi" card. Maybe you visited me earlier when I talked a bit about giving the devotional at this month's preschool prayer breakfast. This year we've been going through the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) stressing a different "fruit" each month. February's fruit is love.

Now, you're going to have to bear with me a little bit here. And to understand where I am going and how I will get there, you first need to read a post from the (in)courage blog called "Can your shampoo do THIS?" (Click here for the exact entry.) When I read that post on the morning of our prayer breakfast it reminded me of an encounter with God that I had back in the summer of 2002. The 4th of July, to be exact.

We have friends down the street who have three boys and a large travel trailer. They spend quite a bit of time camping in it at the beach. Our daughter had just graduated from high school and was on a mission trip with our church youth group to an orphanage in Mexico, so my son and husband decided that the three of us should go spend the 4th of July weekend with our neighbors at the beach — where we'd be sleeping in a tent next to the cushy trailer.

Now, I grew up camping (mostly in a trailer) and did some backpacking and sleeping under the stars. But that's when I was young. I've gotten old. And spoiled. I like mattresses. I really like air conditioning. I'm into comfort.

We went. But I was in a foul mood. (I realize that this is not an attractive way to be and wonder, along with Kelley who was recently writing about this on her blog, why do we treat those closest to us — those we love the most — so rotten sometimes?) I was tired of being hot. And sweaty. And dirty. (Mind you, it had only been one day.) So, I woke up very early in the morning and informed Ken that I needed a shower. A warm shower. In a clean bathroom. All of "our people" were still asleep. Most of the campground was still asleep. But Ken got up, borrowed our friends' golf cart and set out with me to find a clean (and hopefully deserted) bathroom.

The first bathroom we got to was closed for cleaning. Figuring that was a good sign, we traveled on to the next one. Surely they had started at the front of the park and were making their way in as they cleaned, right? No. That was not the case and the bathroom was not clean. At all. But, it was deserted. I chose a shower stall — the least offensive one — and undressed for my shower. When I turned on the water, though, my mood did not improve. What's a worse mood than foul? That's where I was. The water was not exactly warm, but worse than that, it was a trickle. The kind where you almost have to chase the drips around the stall to catch them. Grrrr. I proceeded — very unhappily — to try to get clean and in the process was letting the tears of frustration flow as I complained to God.

My complaints, though, changed as I started praying for our daughter in Mexico. And it struck me how spoiled rotten I was acting. I had no idea what sort of situation Britt was in — did she have a shower at her access? Did it have hot water? Water pressure? She was putting her faith into action and I was crying in a bathroom that had working plumbing while I was on a brief holiday vacation with family and friends. What was wrong with me? Convicted, I started to sing. Not aloud (I'm not that bold — even in a deserted bathroom), but in my head. The song was one that was popular at the time, "When I Praise" by FFH. Part of the words are "I throw my hands up in the air and I know that You will find me there, find me when I praise." 

And, that's when God met me. Like in the story from the (in)courage blog (I hope you read it...), God met me in a real and tangible way. As I praised Him — I promise this is true — the water warmed to the ideal temperature and the water pressure improved to perfection. I couldn't believe what was happening! I continued praising God, finished my shower, and emerged from the bathroom entirely clean — inside and out. I'm sure Ken was out there waiting for me with fear and trepidation, considering my mood when I entered. I wonder how surprised he was when I came out with a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and testifying to how much God loves me. Me! Ugly-attitude me! I still get goosebumps when I think of it.

Later we went back to the bathroom with the camera. I had to have a record of the place where God met me and showed me how much He loves me.

So — last week I read the (in)courage post at prayer breakfast. And I told them my story. And then I reflected a bit on love. Not so much God's love for us, but how we are to show love to others.

As often happens when I'm preparing to speak about a spiritual topic, God starts working on me. Showing me where I'm lacking. Showing me how far I have to go. Pointing out areas I need to improve in. Or showing me how someone else exemplifies a certain characteristic.

Ken excells at love. He has lived our married life showing me how much he loves me. And I'm so often ungrateful and don't even acknowledge (or sometimes even notice!) the things he does for me. I seem to remember apologizing to him for my horrible mood that day, but now after all these years I was thinking, what if the situation had been reversed? I probably would have told him to suck it up. That he was an adult and needed to get a grip. That we were there to have fun and that he'd better shape up and enjoy himself. (Actually, I probably wouldn't have said any of those things, but you can be sure I would've thought them!) And I probably wouldn't have sacrificed time I could've been sleeping or (ironically) having my quiet time with the Lord to find him a shower.

So — convicted, I am. But, thankfully, I am loved, too. Inspite of my many flaws, my Lord loves me. And I have a husband who loves me as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). And, with daily surrendering to God's agenda rather than my own, I can love that way, too.

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So, when I decided to make a new "hi" card I thought I'd make one for Ken. The outside of the card is OK. I've already thought of some things that I'd do differently, but it's the inside that I'm most happy with. Here's what you see when you open it up.

On the right side:

And on the left:

 

And you can be sure that I'll write some words thanking him for putting up with me all these years!
AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Alphabits, Amazing to Zany, Expressive Flexible Phrases, Straight Up Aphabet & Numbers) and Papertrey Ink (Polka Dot Basics II, Heart Prints); cardstock is PTI (white) and Stampin' Up (Tangerine Tango); ink is Stampin' Up (Summer Sun, Tangerine Tango, Brilliant Blue); ribbon is PTI (Summer Sunrise satin); also used Stampin' Up's Tag punch, the EK Success Medium Heart punch, an X-Acto knife, and Making Memories stapler and blue staple. 

Now, if you can stand it, one more item about my amazing husband. I've written before about how he's been working on his office. I shared a picture of the wood floor he put down. I showed pictures of him painting the stairwell. Some time ago he pulled up the carpet on the stairs and just this weekend laid down the new stair treads that he has spent a lot of time and effort cutting to fit, staining, and putting a finish on. 

He still has some trim work to do, but don't they look amazing?! His office is almost finished! And — shhh! Don't tell him, but I'm now deciding which room he gets to work on next! :)

If you hung in there until now, pat yourself on the back! This was a l-o-n-g entry, but I hope it was an encouragement to you. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! 

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8  

the end

Last post of 2009. The end of Christmas-themed projects. A final look at the Hayes house decorated for the holidays. I think I'll be glad to put all of this to bed.

Today — just a couple more candy boxes made using the Captured Card Case template from Papertrey Ink. If you're new around here and want to see the others that I made you can find them here and here.

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Gotta tell you — I'm lovin' this color combination. And that's about all I have to say about these (besides, there I go again using up leftover pieces from all those Merry Details birds that I've cut).

AND TELL:  stamp is from Stampin' Up (Berry Christmas); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red) and Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); printed cardstock is from Heidi Swapp; ink is from Stampin' Up (Tempting Turquoise); ribbon is from Michaels; also used circle and scalloped circle nestabilities, circle and scalloped square Marvy punches, and Stampin' Up's Merry Details die.

And, just so I can clean up my computer files, here are some more pictures from Christmastime at our house.

We had two trees this year. The one on the left is in the living room (which is in the front of the house). It is more of a "designed" tree — all color coordinated and everything (white, red, and bright green). And the other is in the family room (back of the house). It's the main tree. The one we put presents under. The one that holds the quite large assortment of miscellaneous ornaments collected over the years.

Here is another Nativity scene. This is usually the first decoration put out after Thanksgiving.

This is the first year I've had that angel towering over it, heralding the Lord's birth. I think I like it there.

Here are our stockings. My mom made mine when I was a baby. When Ken & I got married, she made him one to match. Somehow his little bear's nose fell off. And mine now has a chocolate stain on the back — caused by "Santa" filling it with goodies before the last child came in for the night and lit the fire. :) Also, no one has ever called me Jan. Guess Mom didn't plan ahead to Christmas stockings when she named me. Two years later she named my brother Bob. They say it was after my dad, grandpa, great-grandpa, etc., but I contend it was for the sake of it fitting on the Christmas stocking. :)

Britt and Ian's stockings were made by their other grandma — Ken's mom. She made one for each of her eight grandchildren for their first Christmas. Maybe her four great grandsons, too, but I'm not sure about that. She used stitchery kits and then embellished them further with sparkly beads and metallic threads. They're real heirlooms.

And, finally, just because I love words, type, and little surprise decorating details —

well, the photos look a little weird side by side like this, but these are magnetic strips attached to the cabinet above my washer (left) and dryer (right). I alter the sayings as necessary for season changes and the like. My laundry room is walked through on the way to the first floor bathroom, so it's kind of fun to have little messages displayed there. (If you can't read them, remember you can click on any photo to make it bigger.) 

And, that's it for Christmas! I'm ready to move on. Hmmm. I think I just need to MOVE (my body) — as I finished the last Christmas cookie while writing this post. Time to start the long process of getting my hips and thighs back to where they were before the annual December loss of self-control!

Wow, if you made it all the way through this very long entry! I'm impressed that you hung in there! Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll try not to be so long-winded tomorrow. However, I have a pretty fun card to share that I made using my new Cricut! I may not be able to contain my excitement... See you then! (Be careful and safe if you're going out tonight! Yep, that's the mom in me coming out again...)   

Can you stand more Christmas?

Not in the spiritual sense of Christmas, as that can — and should — stay with us all year long. But in the physical oh-no-not-more-Christmas-projects sense.

I probably have three more days worth of Christmas-y posts that I'll may go ahead and share, just because I went through the trouble to make the projects and take the pictures. Know what I mean?

The plan was that I would post last night, but after a trip to IKEA, an hour or so of wii, a DVD movie with Ken — well, I was just plain old tired. So, I start now.

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Oh, yeah. There's that bird again.

Our next door neighbors included us in their family meals both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. They have super yummy meal traditions: crab legs on Christmas Eve and beef tenderloin on Christmas Day. So, so tasty!

The photo above shows just some of the gifts we took over. A box of peppermints (like in this post) and gift card holders containing Borders gift cards for each of the book-lovin' teenage girls. The little ones got actual presents and we also took a basket of southern specialty foods.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Berry Christmas); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Gable Green, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette) and Papertrey Ink (white); printed cardstock is Heidi Swapp; ink is Stampin' Up (Gable Green, Melon Mambo); ribbon is PTI (Fresh Snow grosgrain) and Michael's red gingham; also used Marvy blue circle punch, Stampin' Up scallop border punch and Merry Details die, Fiskar's Apron Edge punch, classic scallop circle nestabilities, and Sizzix Textured Impressions embossing folders (Snowballs large and Starry Night large).

One thing I love about Christmas is the lights. I'm not so big on physically putting them up, but I do so enjoy looking at them. And, fortunately for me, Ken is a put it on the list and check it off kind of guy — so he puts our outside lights up right after Thanksgiving. I don't have to say a word. I leave for the day and — voila! When I come back home the lights are up and on. It's like magic. :)

Much of our street lights up (so to speak), so it's very festive during the Christmas season. There's a house around the corner from us, though, that goes all-out. I'll have to get a picture of it next year. So colorful and magical-looking.

Anyway, I like lit up house anytime of year. I love riding in a car at night and getting quick peeks into houses as we drive past.

That's what the Christmas village that my Aunt Betty made for us reminds me of.

The church and four ceramic houses were a special gift during the early years of our marriage. I have a few fancy limited-edition Snow Village houses (Dept. 56) that have lights built into them, but I didn't even put them out this year. Instead I pulled out this simple village that I illuminate with a string of white lights — covering the cord between the house with "snow drifts" made of quilt batting. I love the way the golden light shines through the many windows and reflects on the marble table. And those little boys with the sled? A perfect gift many years ago from our Christmas-loving nephew — purchased at the dollar store, I think. They help to bring my village to life.

In the next few days I'll start packing away all my favorite Christmas decorations and getting the house back to normal. Until then, though, I'll turn on the tree and village lights as soon as I get up in the morning — savoring the last little bit of this special season.

Candy Boxes

I've been making a lot of Captured Card Cases over the past few days and am using them to package peppermint candies. No, not homemade candies. I wish. Just simple candies-in-a-tub purchased at Wal-Mart. Some of these card cases/candy boxes were mailed off to the west coast, but most of them have been given to nearby friends that I've met for lunch or people whose house we've been invited to for parties.

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One thing that I think is pretty great about this packaging is that it's easily reusable. The ribbon band just slides off to open the box. The recipient can empty the contents, refill it, slide the band back on and give it to someone else. Cool, huh?

Instead of listing my supplies today, I'd like to show pictures of a couple other boxes I made. You can see that I used several different supplies. Truthfully, I was in such a flurry of making things at the time that my entire craft room was littered with supplies and I was just grabbing what I could see and trying to put it together in a way that worked.

And here's a picture of a box filled with my store-bought goodies.

 
Back to sharing more of our Christmas decorations, we have quite a few nativities that we put on display during December. 

This year I paired several of them with angels, posing the angels so that they are looking over the scene. I especially love this one. The angel is so large and so adoring. The scene is so small. It actually used to be a music box/snow globe. We gave it to my great aunt several years before she passed away. She had dementia and was in a nursing home. After she went to be with her Lord and Savior, the music box (minus the snow globe portion) was given to me. Aunt Ruth loved Jesus with all her heart, so this reminds me of her — and of how Jesus came to earth in such a humble way. Having the cross candlestick in this trio of items just adds extra meaning to me. Jesus came, lived as the light of the world, and died on the cross for my sins. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Here's one more. It sits on a little shelf near our kitchen table. The teeny tiny nativity was given to one of my children when they were in preschool. And the angel was given to me by the daughter of one of our preschool teachers. I think this angel is just marveling at what God is doing.

And I'm marveling, too. Still.

Thanks for taking a little time to stop by here today. I pray that your Christmas is marvelous (and full of marveling at God's awesome plan)!  

Peace

So, how are you doing at finding peace during this hectic season?

SHOW

I made this little 3" x 3" card for the last Papertrey Ink Guest Star Stamper contest in the Turning a New Leaf category. I think I didn't execute it very well and I was also working at the last minute so the photo is really dark. Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't be posting it. :)

But, I do like the idea of it. I used the small leaf frond image to make little snowy trees on a hill; the snowflakes are the asterisk image from the PTI Journaling Lines set.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Journaling Lines, 2008 Holiday Tags Collection); cardstock is PTI (white) and Paper Source (a discontinued shimmery navy blue); ink is PTI (Fresh Snow) and Stampin' Up (Basic Gray); also used Prisma glitter.  

Over the next few days I thought I'd show you some of my favorite Christmas decorations around the house. I'm not sure that this is really one of my favorites, but I think it's a good idea. Besides that, it's easy, it uses what I have, and it makes a pretty big impact.

Ken takes my full-length mirror off the bedroom closet door and we put it in the middle of the dining room table. Then I arrange candles down the middle of it. The glittery green tree candles were purchased on sale at Kohl's quite a few years ago; the center tree is elevated on a glass block from a home improvement store. The rest of the candles are just cheap white tea lights in any clear or frosted candleholder that I found around the house. Gold confetti stars and green glass trees that I found on clearance at a gift shop are sprinkled all over to complete the festive look. I don't know. Mirrors just make everything look so clean and bright. (And, hopefully they distract the eye from the wrinkled, puckered white tablecloth!) 

So, back to my original question. How are you doing at finding that peaceful feeling during these days before Christmas? I must admit, while I'm not in a panic and I'm not super stressed (yet), I do feel a little edgy — and I know it's because I'm doing everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!) at the last minute. I finally got our packages in the mail to the west coast yesterday. Then today I mailed our Christmas cards (not handstamped) and started Christmas shopping for my own little family. That's crazy. I'll finish that up tomorrow, go to the grocery store, and start the baking. Then there will be the wrapping.

In the midst of all the hubbub of the season, I don't want to forget the reason for the celebration. Jesus! So, no matter the craziness that I allow to creep in to my life (through my own procrastination, usually), I'm so thankful for the peace that I have because I know Him — the Prince of Peace!

Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow with more to share. I have no shortage of things to post — just a shortage of time to get the posting done. Anyway, thanks so much for hanging in there with me — and for stopping by today. I'll cross my fingers that I get a chance to come back with something new tomorrow, but now it's off to bed. Good night!

Hi there. Hello.

Don't know whether or not I'll ever get up to date with the Clean and Simple Stamping blog's card layouts, but I'll keep trying.

This first card is for FTL66. I think I've said it before, but I just love the little bird that I used on this card. I love it so much that you're probably getting sick of it!

SHOW

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Mega Mixed Messages); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Crushed Currry, Tangerine Tango, Certainly Celery) and PTI (Vintage Cream); patterned paper is a scrap from my stash; ink is Stampin' Up (Old Olive); also used Stampin' Up's Merry Details die.

This second card I made for our daughter's boyfriend who came with her to our Thanksgiving celebration. Everyone who stayed overnight received a welcome card beside their bed along with a few hospitality items (gum or mints, spiral notebook and pen, snack mix, ...). I used FTL17 as inspiration here.

SHOW

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Mega Mixed Messages); cardstock is PTI (Kraft) and Stampin' Up (Soft Sky); ink is PTI (Terra Cotta Tile, True Black); button and twine are PTI (True Black; Rustic Cream); also used Stampin' Up's Merry Details die.

By the way, our daughter did receive a card, too. It's one that I had made earlier. She said she liked it, so I saved it for just such an occasion. You can see it here. Apparently I've got a thing about birds right now. A good thing. Unusual for me, because I had a rather traumatic (in a funny sort of way) bird experience that has given me a pretty big aversion to them. Go figure.

Kay, Ken's cousin, left a comment on my last post requesting a picture of the dining room chandelier. You know me. I'm here to please. And, being the over-achiever that I am, I'm posting not one, not two, but three photos. Chandelier off, chandelier dimmed, chandelier bright. Click on a photo to see it bigger.

When we remodeled the downstairs a couple years ago, I bought all new light fixtures. And I bought them all online. Many people call me crazy, but it worked out well. I love them all.

And here are a few photos from Thanksgiving (which, by the way, was absolutely perfect!). First, a picture of the table. (That's Ken's mom and his cousin Jeanne in the background.)

We put three tables end-to-end to give us the look of one long, continuous table from the dining room into the living room — and, even though the living room is one step down from the dining room, it worked well.

Here is our youngest guest.

Isn't he precious in his little Thanksgiving outfit?

And here is the matriarch of the family, Ken's mom, with our two children.

My goodness. When do children get so big? So grown up? (Especially since we're still so young!)

That's it for now. Thanks for spending a little bit of your day here today. Hope to see you again tomorrow!