Thursday, 5 December 2013

Crafty Ribbons Christmas Advent Event

Just a quick post to let my followers know about the Crafty Ribbons Christmas Advent Event. 
They are featuring a different craft company or shop each day, with the design team showing projects from their products There are lovely daily prizes from each  highlighted company.
Day 1 is LOTV...I so love their stamps!

Entries for prizes ends Dec 26th and the prize draws will be made on Jan 2, 2014.


Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Recognizing limitations

My DH will be so proud of me.  He always tells me that I need to recognize my limitations if I am sore and sometimes need to alter plans or even cancel them if they are beyond my grasp.
Many of you know how much I look forward to Black Friday shopping. It is a tradition in our house and the shopping trip itself is planned and honed with precision. We usually manage to get all the doorbusters on our list! Not by shoving and pushing. but by merging our shopping lists and each of us searching for everyone else. We meet up before going thru the till, and sort if we have extras.  Generally someone takes them anyway!

Black Friday starts on Thursday...crazy I know...but it starts as early as around 3pm Thursday. Each store has doorbuster specials at different times on Thursday, Friday and even Saturday. You have to line up to get them, so it does take planning. We usually stay at till Saturday but the friend booking the rooms had to drop out this year...and forgot to do the booking!!! My back and neck were still really sore from that fall and poor DD had a migraine, so we cancelled the room that we did manage to get for one night. We scaled our list down, and drove home to our own comfy beds. We were home just after midnite.  The hotel had a wait list for the room so they were really nice about the cancellation.

I managed to get an Ipad mini for $199.  and three sets of king size and queen size 700 thread count sheets for $24.99 each  A king sized quilt, a little mini crock pot for keeping hot dips warm when you entertain for $4.50 and two 12 x 12 double sided  page scrapbook paper pads for $5.00, door buster gifts for the kids next door and much more.   I treated myself to two Christmas stamps that were BOGO...I know I will get a lot of use from them!

DH is in Vegas celebrating his 60th with his pals from elementary school! They have stayed friends all these years. He left me money to buy any scrappy purchases that caught my eye...boy, oh boy, did things catch my eye!

DD even had me chose one of my Christmas presents...it is a hanging embellishment cupboard that matches my craft room furniture. I have wanted it for about a year but it had been discontinued. It was $109.00 in Canada when they had it and she got it for $29.00 on clearance. She needed to show me as she needed to be sure that I had a wall that it could go on...needless to say, I am a very happy crafter. She will get me other surprises as well, so I did not mind choosing it. I will post a photo after Xmas when I have it hung up and filled with stash!!! Got lot of other stuff but don't want to bore you too, too much!

Here is the last one from the series of fall themed thank you cards I was working on this week. They all use the same basic selection of papers, just the way I combined the elements differs slightly with each.
I was happy with the look of the woodland branches on my Thanksgiving card so decided to use some of those die cuts again. This time I decided to tie the branches together in a bundle. I had just the right colour of fine jute twine, so pressed that into service! Kept it fairly flat again, as this card will be posted overseas.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets.
2. Word Art Wednesday - uplifting words
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Sunday, 1 December 2013

Christmas Card Club - Oh Christmas Tree

The lovely Dawn chose the theme of Oh Christmas Tree for our challenge this fortnight. It was a great theme...I do not have a single tree stamp so this theme encouraged me to ink and colour a stamp I have never used before.
I have been trying hard this year to finally create with some of my never before used stash (NBUS) and it was a good feeling to get this inked up and put to use. After pawing through my Christmas stamps, I realized that I seem to own a lot of getting the tree images!  lol

I am in full standard postage mode now...all my hand delivered cards are made and I am now making my cards for overseas. I checked this one through my new mail width tester and it fits! This was a gift and I am so very grateful for it. It is so nice to make a card and test it as you are creating...it is so easy to adjust your design with this special gadget. It was a gift from a special friend...you know who you are, and I just wanted to say thank you so much again!

There is no official recipe tonight as DH turned 60 today and we have been out for a lovely supper and celebrations. I am a wee bit sleepy now!
I started with a square textured card and envelope, and added two snippets of dotted MME design papers.  The image is a bit on the large side so in order to fit the largish corner dies on my card, I did not mat the image. I think it is the first time that I have not matted one and I must say it felt weird. I inked the edges quite liberally with an Ingvild Bolme red chalk ink to try to mimic a mat. I love this product! It has the cutest handle built in and the ink dries immediately...no smudges on your fingers!

I added a Martha Stewart border strip...for those of you that know my name, this border is quite appropriate for me! I added the two Spellbinder Parisian corner dies and a cluster of Impression Obsession Snowflakes. Placed a few aqua tiny diamonds here and there to tie in that pretty blue from the MS border. Not sure about the sentiment...might be Stampin Up...will check it tomorrow.

I can not decide if I should stickle the snowflakes and the edge of the image. I usually do as it is Christmas after all, but something about this image felt a bit rustic. What do you think...let me know if you think I should go back and add it...
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Pixies Crafty Workshop - must use snippets; Everything on this card is a snippet
2. CHNC Extra - Anything Goes, must be Christmas
3. MFP Speedy TV Christmas Card Challenge - must be Christmas
4. Christmas Card Club - Oh Christmas Tree