Christmas Cards

It seems that a lot of my busy-ness has come down to one thing - homemade Christmas cards. I struggle with this every year because as a crafter I want to give a homemade card to everyone. Unfortunately, my card list is much longer than I want to make cards for and I never start early enough to make it possible. I also love sending photos of the kids to family and friends and the photo cards are so simple to do. Maybe when I don't have cute kid photos to send each year, I will work on shortening my list down to a managable level (or just start earlier) but for now, I simply save the cards I make in classes for "someday". Over the next few days, I will share with you some of the cards my sister consultants designed for our Team's Christmas Card Workshop back in September. I shared with you the card I designed but here are some of the other designs the guests got to make throughout the day.

Christmas Gift Tags

I am loving how easy the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge is making my holiday gift giving this year! I am able to make some really easy gifts that look like a million bucks! Below are some of the gift tags I made to attach to the kids' gifts. I went a little more dramatic for the tags that will go on the adult gifts but for the kids' I kept it simple.

I cut 14 of the tag from the Art Philosophy cartridge in Olive cardstock and 14 of the rectangle from White Daisy cardstock. Using the December 25th stamp set, I used Cranberry ink to stamp the image onto the white cardstock. Super easy!

This the tag I am using for the adults' tags. I cut Barn Red cardstock to 4"x 6", White Daisy cardstock to 3.5" x 5.5". I used Olive ink with an image from the June Stamp of the Month stamp set and some of the gingham ribbon from the red collection. Since the adults actually care who the gift is from, I made it bigger to accommodate all the extra sentiments adults like.

Christmas Advent Calendar

This post has taken me awhile to do, simply because I have been oddly uninspired after the initial thought of making an advent calendar. I really hate when that happens because the project will just sit on my table mocking me. Some projects I can set aside for months and months until inspiration will strike but my son was the driving force to get this finished. I'm still not 100% happy with the project but I have a whole year to redo it if I choose to do so. In the meantime, I have something that my son is happy to work with for the season, and really, that's all I care about. Though if you have any suggestions on how to better embellish the box, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Here are some photos of the box and a few cards for your reference.

Here is a list of the 24 activities I used:

My 2012 Class Schedule

I have just updated my Class Schedule for the new year. Check it out on the above tab! See you in 2012!

I have all the final details in place for my Winter Weekend Crop in February. Check out the "Upcoming Events" tab for more information or email me for an application.

I had been anticipating that this post would feature my advent calendar I've been working on but the pressure has been ruining my creative mojo so I've shelved that project until I feel more inspired. I moved on to my next project which is planning my team meeting for this coming week. It's also our Holiday party but I wanted to do a quick Make & Take for the gals to cross of something from their own To Do lists. Oddly, Close to My Heart posted a video on the exact project I was planning on doing so I'll share it with all of you!




For more information on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge check it out here.

Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I am choosing to be thankful.
I will not to be negative, grumpy or resentful.
I will look at people and assume the best.
I will work my hardest and accept the fruits of my labor with a gratefulness.
I will say "Thank You" to my husband, my kids and my boss.
My family is the greatest gift I have received and I will not forget it.
I am thankful for a warm house that needs repairs, a barking dog asking to be let in, dishes piled up by the sink after a party with friends and laundry that needs washed. God has been faithful to me, and I choose to be faithful to Him.

May God grant you blessings in abundance this holiday season!

Farm Show scrapbook page

Our town puts on the last farm show of the season in our county - and it is a really big deal for us. I married into this town and I have had a blast getting involved in the community since I've lived here. Celebrating my son's first farm show was a big deal and considering we live right down the road we were there every day, all day! This is one of my favorite photos of all time with my husband and son - when I close my eyes this is what I see when I think of them - and I had to preserve it in a beautiful layout. My sister consultant, Vicki Melhuish, is a very talented designer (she can do things with embellishments that just astound you) and this is her layout I was fortunate enough to get during a team swap.