second chance

I still haven't heard from my blog candy winner Sherry Goodloe so I'll give her the rest of the day to contact me. That may mean a second chance for everyone else, so if I still have no e-mail in the new year I'll draw a winner tomorrow!

Hopefully I find time to create before the festivities tonight too!

Smiles,

Unscripted blog hop

I just love a party, so I wanted to make sure everyone heads over to Unscripted Sketches on Saturday for a fabulous blog hop to ring in 2010! There may even be some calorie free candy along the way. See you there.....

Smiles,

Cards and Challenges!

I'm so excited, I can't remember the last time I made a card for fun or a card for a challenge. Today I have some of each!!! First is my interpretation of this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

Then I made another love card using Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch 50:


Lots of scraps from my table being used, and bits of ribbon too! Since I was on a roll I attempted to work on Stacey's Curtain Call color challenge as well. I didn't have all the shades of pink necessary but did manage something like pretty in pink with a faded pink heart on my sentiment.

I had plenty more scrap where the cards came from so I did a 10 minute scrap card just for fun.

And now I'm exhausted and need to get ready for a wedding.....yes on a Tuesday! Let me know what you think, I'm afraid I've forgotten what a good card looks like since I have created in so long!

Smiles,

And the winner is....

Sherry Goodloe who said...
LOVE the bag you have created!! And what would I use it for you ask? Well, what WOULDN'T I use it for is the question! I would use it to carry papers back and forth to the *day job* . . . I would use it to carry my purchases at the RSC 3 times a year . . .I would use it at CHA the end of January . . . I would use it to carry some of my arts & crafts supplies to a friend's home to craft with . . . I would use it as . . . oh the list goes ON! And speaking of LIST . . . I would use the notebook to write down all of the things I need to do and get and . . .

Wow, she sounds like me and my need to get organized in 2010!

Sherry, drop me an e-mail with your address and you'll have a bag and list for the many, many things you have planned for it!

I'm on vacation this week, and despite a wedding and some school work (plus cleaning the house!) I hope to find some time to create. Hope to stop by and see everyone soon!

Smiles,

Merry Christmas!!!!

Hope you find time to rest today after all the hard work and festivities!

Smiles,

PS.....I'll have the winner for my blog candy TOMORROW!

Another notepad

Good morning! Is this really the last shopping/creating weekend before Christmas.....aagghhh!!!! I have SO MUCH to do before Christmas arrives and need another 25 days or so to be ready. How about you? For this week's Unscripted Sketch I used the sketch to check something else off the list, and I really stretched the sketch to accomplish that.

At school we do a Secret Santa and the person I chose listed reading as an interest. We do a few little gifts but I wanted to make something special for the final day. So I made her a fun notepad and stuck a gift card for Barnes & Noble in it. I left out the circles at the bottom of the sketch because if this gets stuck in a bag or purse I figured they may end up just falling off or getting caught on something.

Hopefully you can find time to create and use our sketch this week too....I know I have a few more gifts (and cards!!!) to make so I'll be seeing what's out there to use. Head over to Unscripted Sketches to see what the DT has created and maybe play along too!

If you haven't already entered for my blog candy, be sure to do that too!

Smiles,

BLOG CANDY!

A day late, but it's time for some blog candy in honor of my one year blogaversary!!!

But first, a story. As soon as I saw Michelle Wooderson make THIS, I knew I had to drag out my sewing machine to make a bag and a notepad too. I thought it would be the perfect Yankee Swap gift (along with homemade bread, yum) and got to work....three hours before I needed it. Nothing like procrastination! And needless to say it didn't get done in time, has been sitting half finished four two weeks but what better reason than candy?!?

The bag is a Jane Market bag (pattern HERE on the Posie Gets Cozy blog) and while I was very much not happy with my finished sewing it got the seal of my mom's approval tonight. Yay!

It also comes with a matching notepad, that opens up to reveal two notepads....I always have more than one list going, how about you?






















And it can be YOURS!!! To enter for this candy just follow a few easy steps:

1. Be a follower
2. Leave me a comment telling me what you would use the bag (or list) for.

*To be entered TWICE, spread the word and post about my candy on your blog.


I'll pick a winner on December 23rd, so you can have this bag and notepad for a late Christmas present. Start 2010 off green and organized....I hope to!


Smiles,

Holiday Greetings

Good morning and happy Saturday! It's time for another Unscripted Sketches Sketch it Saturday and this week's sketch is another great go-to. Despite all my free time on my day off I didn't get to play around with paper, but hopefully tomorrow will be different. I may even use this sketch to finally make my Christmas cards to stick in the mail for family!





As soon as I picked up this postage stamp image, which was already mounted on the scalloped square, I thought of collecting stamps when I was younger. No envelope could be spared--I always ripped the corner right off! So I created my own postmark with a stamp and pen and voila.....a card was born!


I hope you find time (amid the shopping, wrapping and decorating) to make something and maybe even use this week's Unscripted Sketch to create. I'm off to work and to do all those other things I mentioned too!


Smiles,


PS--I also realized that I've just passed my one year blogaversary!!! So tomorrow I'll have candy......Yum-O!

The stockings were hung....

...on the china cabinet? Well I don't have a fireplace or mantel or any other flat surface for that matter!

My mom's aunt made everyone in the family these Santa stockings once upon a time. I was the last one to get one I believe. So when my brother and I got married my mom took her parents stockings and replaced their names with theirs. However, once my nephew came along I needed to make him a matching stocking! I found a pattern just like it, except for the Santa face, so I used my own stocking as a guide and surprised my brother and SIL with it the Christmas before he came. But now they have another son (who I knew was coming a YEAR ago) and yesterday I was busy knitting HIS stocking.....

Nothing like waiting until the last minute! See you tomorrow for another sketch from Unscripted Sketches. TGIF!

Smiles,

O Christmas Tree

Oh happy SNOW DAY! This is the view outside of my kitchen window right now as I'm cozy in my pj's, drinking coffee inside:

I'm actually excited for clearing the driveway too, because my wonderful father helped me get the snowblower up and running. The snow is coming down about an inch an hour right now, so I'm letting it gather a bit, but there will be a change over to rain so I need to get out in a couple hours before it's too heavy for the snowblower.

I realize I do need to make this day of school up in June but I'm a bit tired this month and need to finish decorating the house for Christmas. What a good excuse! Here's my tree that I put up right after Thanksgiving:

Yes it is huge as you see it crammed between the couch and chair. It's fake and prelit and everyone says it a bit large for the room, but we won't always live here and I've got a lot of ornaments too! Pretty full tree for only my 5th Christmas away from home. My mom lovingly packed up my ornament when I got married so I'd have all the ones I'd been given over the years, along with some of my favorites from childhood. Her tree this year is here. A bit more organized than mine but I love it.

The other day I got some wine corks from a friend who actually drinks it and made her this ornament for her tree:

She loved it, especially as her mother never let her decorate the tree as a child and has no ornaments of her own...I'm enabling her in adulthood! You can see some of my ornaments more closely in the background too: A Precious Moments ballerina (I danced until 6th grade), a stained glass angel to the right of that (my mom has given me one every year for almot 10 years now), a smocked bell by my grandmother in the bottom right corner, and crocheted snowflakes all over too. Who made those Mom? I also have candy canes all over (you can see one to the left of the ballerina) because I loved to dig them out of the shoebox as a kid and hang them all up.

For now I'm off to enjoy my day and hopefully make some well deserved cards too. I haven't made my Christmas cards, how bad is that???

Smiles,

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Good morning! Hard to believe it's December and though it's raining in NH right now, I did hear that dreaded four letter word for tomorrow....SNOW! While I love the look, I'm not a fan of clearing the driveway. We'll see if the weatherman was actually right on this. It is nice to have a white Christmas.....

But the good thing about snow is being trapped inside and taking time to create. This week's Unscripted Sketch is one I'll be using again, and hopefully you'll play along too. Here's my card:


(I know you're humming the song now...go ahead, it's a favorite of mine!)
I haven't had much time to do anything creative lately and didn't get anything made in time for the dt cutoff, but forced myself to take 10 minutes and make a card with this sketch. My way of coping with life, and I need a few more Christmas cards.

Last night we had to say goodbye to our wonderful cat, Melky. Though I'm heartbroken and know it will take a long time for my husband to cope with it, I know we did the right thing and he's not in any pain now. The vet told us a year and a half ago that he may only live for another few months and we had much longer to love him and spoil him. We saved him from the shelter three years ago and I know that the time he spent with us was a good life for him. I know he's smiling down on us now, playing with as much yarn and ribbon as he wants. I'm sure I'll put Melky back on the blog someday, but for now I thought I'd showcase some decorations. Hopefully I'll have pictures of the tree to share later too!

Hope you find some time to play along with us at Unscripted Sketches this week. Be sure to squeeze your furry friends and give them a kiss too!


Smiles,