Would you like to see ...

... how my livingroom is decorate for the holidays?

Here is the mantle over the fireplace in the livingroom! I keep it pretty simple with a few favorite pieces. The wreath I made several years ago and with the candycane lights it is just perfect. The Woodland Santa was a gift from my SIL/BIL the first year we were married and the "mouse" stocking hanger is from Mark's Mom. She gave it to us years ago and said that "every house needs a mouse"! I don't know why she said that, I don't particularly like mice in my kitchen but this little guy is harmless, sound asleep waiting for Santa and holding the stocking all ready for filling.

This "vintage" looking Christmas book was purchased just this summer while in Indiana visiting Joan Fricker (Joan's Gardens). I stayed an extra day and Joan, a close friend of hers & I went and did a little shopping. In the first shoppe I spotted this book and although I didn't particularly like the price ... I just had to have it! I knew exactly where it would go come holiday time and I'm so glad I made the purchase.

The back and spine binding look like leather and it has a magnetic consealed closure. You think it's a book ... but it's actually a box! Oooo, good place for a hidden Christmas gift!!

SHARING ...

Happy Monday Everyone ... the Holiday Open House Party was a wonderful success!! It was so wonderful visiting with neighbors and just catching up on this past years events. Everyone is always so busy ... Mark & I were thrilled that everyone took the time to come and sit a spell ... enjoy the friendship of other neighbors as well as good food.

Before our guests arrived, I snapped a few photos to share with you. I made Monogrammed Note Card sets for all the families and had M&M candycanes for each of the kids. Although I knew most of the kids wouldn't be coming, I still wanted a little something for their parents to take home to them ... just to let them know we were thinking of them too!! Most of the neighbor kids are now "tweens or early teens" and would rather stay home playing video games, reading a book or as in the case of Bethany ... doing her homework ... rather than sitting at an Adult party where they'd be bored stiff!! And that's okay ... since they were close by ... it probably worked out for the best!

I also wanted to share my livingroom with you. This is where we have the "big" tree and although there's not much in the way of window dressings, etc. in this room, I enjoy the coziness it has when it's decorated for the holidays. Our tree goes right to the ceiling and there's a lot of lights & decorations and it just makes me HAPPY! The fact that a lot of the ornaments are from family & friends ... makes it all the more special.

Now, on to the party pictures!! You can click on most of the photos for a CLOSER VIEW! I wish you could have come to the party too ... we had plenty of food ... as you will see!!!

Oh my goodness the food!!! We always prepare way too much but Mark & I enjoy working on these gatherings together and although I already know what I want to serve, he always comes up with a few extra goodies to put on the table. Not only did we provide a menu of Swedish Meatballs, Shrimp Coctail, Crab dip, Chicken dip, Beef dip, Cheese & Meat tray w/crackers, Cheesecake, nuts & candy ... but neighbors Christy & Travis brought Sweet & Sour Kielbasa, cookies & candy and neighbors Sheri & Tim brought a nut roll. If you didn't find something here you eat ... you had a problem!!! There was certainly enough to feed another 20 people! There wasn't a whole lot left but what there is we'll be having for dinner tonight!!

Our neighbors have a variety of professions and they are all so unique and interesting to talk to. All are very good in their jobs and are wonderful neighbors ... ready to lend a helping hand where ever they can!! This was so much fun I just might have to make it an annual thing!!!

The young couple across the street (Travis & Christy) where the first to come and the last to leave!! They too are from "back home in PA" and we truly enjoy their company. All of their family is back in PA so I'm glad Mark & I have become their friends and they felt comfortable sticking around and chit-chatting after everyone else was gone.

Our beautiful little neighbor girls Olivia & Emily came by with Mom & Dad for a visit and they are always intriqued by Mark's train under the tree. It's a special Christmas Train and it plays Christmas carols, whistles and sounds like a real train. I wished I hadn't been so hurried in taking my photo ... it's a bit blurry and these young ladies are so adorable and dressed so pretty!! They were on their way to church where their mom would be performing with others in a string orchestra production ... Mom (Christine) plays chello ... isn't that awesome!!


Here is little Emily with her Mom as they were getting ready to leave and go to church! They are both such beautiful little girls and they have a wonderful, God loving family! They are wonderful friends and neighbors!! If they see me outside, they always take the time to say hello and talk to awhile! The girls always enjoy telling me what they are doing that day ... whether it is just riding their bikes ... going swimming ... or going to help grandma plant the garden. They love to share and I always enjoy hearing about their adventures.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I know everyone is so busy this time of the year, it's difficult to get around to let everyone know how much you care and appreciate who they are. So with that being said ... before I run out of time, let me say that I feel truly BLESSED by the friendship of all of you! I draw wonderful warm feeling from all your loving comments and you all inspire me so much! God Bless you and thanks for being my friend!!

Take care ... be careful out there among all the CRAZY shoppers and try to enjoy each and every day & experience ... we never know when it may be our last! And I for one want to be sure it ends on a GOOD note!!

Holiday Open House

Good Sunday Morning Everyone!!

Well, today is our Neighborhood Holiday Open House Party and I'm so thrilled that all 10 couples invited have RSVP'd they're coming ... how awesome!! Mark has been so much help with the menu and helping me around the house ... I actually think he's looking forward to the party too! He's not much of a "people person" but he loves to cook and enjoys himself once it all begins! He never fussed when I told him I wanted to have this get together. I think he wants to show our neighbors how appreciative he is of their support & kindness throughout this past years cancer journey too!!
I don't have any cards to share with you today but thought you'd like to see a few pictures of how the house is decorated for our gathering.


Here is my beautiful baker's rack which is housed in my diningroom. Mark bought this for me on my birthday while living in Toledo. He actually brought it home in his Ford Explorer ... what a sight!!! Mark is a BIG GUY and he had to have his driver's seat up nearly all the way in order for it to fit in the back. He could have had it delivered but then I wouldn't have had it ON MY BIRTHDAY ... so he opted to have the salesgirl help him manuveur it into the truck and away he went. I'm sure that 10 mile drive felt like 50 ... all crunched up while driving!! Isn't it gorgeous!!

I have various old family photos and vine/grape related items displayed through the year but at holiday time, it becomes home to a lot of my "special" Santa's. I have quite a collect from friends, family & Mark over the years and I love them all! I will show you some of them individually in a seperate post over the next couple of weeks but today ... you get to see them collectively.

Oh, please notice the corner of the tablecloth and matching napkins used on the bakers rack. I purchased them recently down home close to where my daughter lives at a place called Sheeley's Linen Outlet. I went in looking for holiday curtains for my kitchen window (which I did happily find) and discovered this particular tablecloth on one of their displays. It SO reminded me of holiday's past while growing up that I just had to have it. The had several "vintage" patterns but this one caught my eye first so I stuck with it and so glad I did!! Doesn't it just remind you of being in grandma's kitchen!!! (TeeHee ... at least for those in my age bracket!)

Now here is a view of my "parlor". Mark calls it my "poofy room"! This is MY room ... where I have my Queen Anne furniture, vintage family photos and several other "old time goodies". HE OWNS the livingroom, LOL ... not much decorating done in "his" room ... but MINE is warm & cozy and filled with all things vintage!

The funny thing is ... these two rooms are the only thing that are determined to be HIS & MINE ... everything else is totally shared! HIS livingroom throughout the year is pretty daul ... you know, a "guys" room with the HUGE screen TV, not much decorating, book & papers everywhere and a comfy couch & chair! He claims he's a simple guy and that's all he needs, LOL!!

Okay ... back to MY poofy room! Here are a few of the items in MY room that I just love. First is my Curio Cabinet ... another gift from my dear, sweet husband. He sure knows how to pick out presents!!!! Over time I have filled it with some of my most precious smaller pieces. A beautiful Lenox Angel Mark bought me one Christmas, a good luck pig that my sister brought me back from Russia, a cup & saucer set from my grandmother's collection, an indian arrowhead that belonged to my brother-in-law Alan (who went to heaven only a couple of years after I met him), a hand painted victorian porcelain slipper that my Aunt Marcy painted for me over 30 years ago ... and several other treasures.

Isn't this photo of my Brothers-In-Law adorable!!!! It was taken in the early 1950's. Alan (closest to Santa) is really "checkin' him out" ... just wants to be sure that he's the REAL THING!!! I'm sure this photo was taken at either Gimbles or Hornes in Pittsburgh, PA ... those were the two BIG stores in downtown Pittsburgh during that time frame. (click for closer view)

I just LOVE this photo! Check out the clothes ... both Drew (on the left) and Alan had on matching cowboy shirts ... but I love Alan's pants with the shoulder straps to help keep them up!!


And how about these wedding photos of my in-laws! She (Claire, my MIL) gave me these photos shortly before she started to show signs of Alzeheimer's. I'm so pleased to be able to display them in our home. Mark's father, Andy, died in 1990 of a heart attach out on the golf course. Unfortunately I only knew my father in law for about a year before his passing ... I'm sure I could have heard some wonderful stories from him if we'd only had more time together. (click for closer view)

The last photo today is a family photo of MY mother's family. There were 12 children ... actually 13 but one died at birth. Here is a photo of Grandma and all the kids back in the 60's. I'm sad to say that there are only 5 of the 12 children still alive but that's really good considering the youngest is in her mid 70's. My mom is next to the youngest and she will be 80 on January 27th. This tiered shelf was also from my grandmother's farm house. I have a matching 3-tiered corner stand which is in my upstairs hallway. (click for closer view)

Well, that's all I have for you today. Sorry no cards ... no time to create today! I hope to have photos to share with you tomorrow of the party! Now, I'd better get things finished up and ready to go! Have a great day everyone!!!

Saturday Spotlight - The Music of Your Soul

Well, here it is Saturday again ... you know what that means ... it's time for another fun-filled SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT with HIDDEN POTENTIAL Challenge! Today it's all about the "Music of Your Soul". Personally, I love music of all types but I probably listen to the most music at holiday time ... like now! I have it playing all day long whether I'm in my crafting room or working around the house ... it just envokes such wonderful childhood memories and makes me happy!

That is the reason for my "holiday" musical creation. The precious angel images I have used are from http://www.craftyindividuals.co.uk/ and I've used Fiskar decal scissors to border them. The base card is Christmas Red cs, next panel is Candystripe from DCWV and the Musical dp is from The Paper Studio. After cutting the musical panels, I distressed-wrinkled and sponged with Ranger Vintage Photo Distress ink. For embellishments I have used the following: Michael's gold metallic thread, Offray red sheer ribbon, Kaiser red half pearls, K&Co. chipboard star and vintage lace which was a gift from one of my Stamp D'Amour friends.

Our sponsor this week is Paper Garden Projects. Just click on the link to get to their store and also check out their really cool blog HERE.

Look at what they are giving away to one lucky winner this week! Aren't those just the cutest images!!! OH ... and there's more ... here you can read it in their words:

I'm excited about being a sponsor on Saturday Spotlight and I'd like to offer all the readers a store discount. Just enter the code Satspot in the code box when you check out and receive an additional 10% off your entire order. The coupon is valid through December 19.

How awesome is that! Now don't miss out ... create a card/project that reflects YOUR favorite music and post a direct link over to Mr. Linky on the Saturday Spotlight Challenge Blog. I can NOT wait to see what you create ... this should be GREAT fun! Vicki sure comes up with some awesome ideas!!!

And PLEASE, don't forget to check out what my Diva Sistah's have created to inspire you!! I'm sorry to say we have lost a couple Diva's from the team. Susan & Debbie will certainly be missed ... but sometimes life gets in the way of our hobbies and we just have to do what's best for our family & personal lives. I am happy however to tell you that Jodi (Inked Inspirations), our guest designer, will be staying on to help us out.

*Vicki (creator/coordinator) ... *Chris (Coordinator) ... Boni ... Crystal ... Dawn ... Erin ... Jessica ... Maria

OH ... ONE MORE THING ... The Saturday Spotlight Diva's will be taking a little holiday break, so this will be the last challenge for 2009. We will be back on JANUARY 2nd for more Saturday Spotlight Challenge fun! Please mark your calendar's ... you don't want to miss out on the fun & prizes coming up in the new year!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT DIVA'S

Need More Cards to send ...

I just realized today that I still need SEVERAL more cards created to send to family & friends! (Some of you might be getting them late ... sorry!) So while I had a few open moments, I played around with images I had already colored (that's what I was doing while waiting for jury duty) and scraps of holiday paper piled on my worktable. AND .. I saw this layout over on Danni's Dreams Blog and thought it was a great layout to use up those scraps. This is the layout for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge and it was really fun to work with. Here is what I came up with.

Last week when the girls came here for a get together, Lana Edwards brought along her new Sugar Nellie images to share. They are from the "Funky Kits" store ... I just loved this little gal and couldn't wait to get her colored. I used my Prismacolor Markers then cut her out with a swivel craft knife. I've added Liquid Applique to her ear muffs, cuffs & jacket bottom for additional dimension. The blue & snow flake paper is from a DCWV holiday 12x12 pack (shared by Terri Snode) and the music paper is from The Paper Studio (shared by Linda Davis). Thanks girls ... you're the best!!!

I see this week's Stamp Something Challenge is Winter Wonderland and I think this creation works perfectly.

This next creation again is using up some of those scraps of shared designer paper from friends. Also, the red cuttlebugged panel was created using the SU Sizzix embossing folder that friend Carol Smuts brought along to share with everyone ... I need to get this one ... doesn't it look awesome on that metallic paper!! My image came from the internet and for the life of me I can't remember where!! I'm thinking it was from a site I linked onto from my friend Julie Campbell's blog (A Vintage Chic).. Julie if you're reading this and know where this came from ... PLEASE let me know so I can give proper credit ... thanks!!

I have used the same snowflake designer paper from DCWV as the other card as well as garden green cardstock. I've used the Nestabilities Decal Rectangles to cut out my image ... Creative Memories snowflake punch and Prima holiday flowers.

Well, looks like I'd better get some work done around here! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek ... I do appreciate you taking the time during this busy holiday season!

Stamp Simply Challenge - SSNOTIME117

Good Friday Afternoon everyone!! First I'd like to say thanks to those of you who shared their "well-wishes" to me during my jury duty responsibilities! It really wasn't too bad at all. Out of the whole week, I only got called in one day and although they had 3 cases to try ... only 1 required a jury! So after choosing 20 jurors (of which I was NOT included) ... the remainder of us got to go home. After checking the website last evening ... I found that my jury responsibilities had been satisfied and I was allowed to "carry on" with my life. Sheewww!

So that was all well & good but then my laptop started throwing me all kinds of warnings and had me in a panic! I instantly shut it down and called the Geek Squad ... they had me bring it in this morning and after many scans & checks ... seems all is well! Another Sheeww!!

Okay ... on to my card for today! It's time again for a Sharon Johnson Stamp Simply challenge and this week she's asked us to "alter a store bought card". What great fun this was and I have a ton of them sitting around which have come from EVERY organization we contribute to!! I use the envelopes but the cards just keep piling up ... it was nice to be able to use one. I only wished I would have thought to take a "BEFORE" picture prior to completing my creation! DUH!!!

The focus image is from the card front and I have cut it out with a swivel craft knife and mounted it onto white cs. The top & bottom borders are from the card and again using my swivel craft knife, I've cut the portions I wanted and actually put them upside down from how there were on the original card. I added dimension with Michael's peel & stick candycanes and pinwheels as well as added Liquid Applique for the whipped cream in the cocoa cup.

Although I didn't photograph it, I cut out the inside greeting of the original card using a Nestabilities Labels 4 die and placed it on the inside of my card! What a fun challenge!! Thanks Sharon ... you always come up with the best ideas!!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Mark & I did some of the shopping this morning for our Open House party planned for Sunday evening and I have my Guest Gifts all completed but I can't show you until Monday (not sure who's watching and don't want to ruin the surprise!). Have a great weekend!

Doing My Duty ...

Just to let you know I won't be around today ... my NUMBER has been selected for JURY DUTY today so I'll be at the courthouse all day! Have fun everyone and I hope to see you tomorrow!!

Surprises from friends ...

I can't tell you how much I LOVE a surprise!!! And this week, I received surprises from not just one, but two of my friends!!



At my Holiday Get Together with stamping friends last Friday, Carol Smuts surprised me with this lovely necklace charm that she made! Isn't it beautiful!! This is one craft that I have not even tried to dabble in ... I don't think my eyes or unsteady hands would allow me to create such a beautiful work of art! Thanks you SO MUCH Carol ... this is just gorgeous and I will be wearing it with pride at my Christmas Open House this coming weekend!!



A few days before my play date with the girls, I got a surprise in the mail from London, Ontario ... well, I knew right away by the address that it was from my very crafty friend Janine (2bKrafty) and I'll tell you, this gal is really crafty!! She is one of Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply gals and she is just the sweetest lady you'd ever want to meet!!!


What a wonderful surprise to receive this handmade felt mitten that she has hand stitched to decorate! WOW how awesome is this!!! I don't have anything like this in my collection of holiday goodies and I just LOVE IT!!! Thank you SO MUCH Janine ... you are a real sweetie and it looks fantastic on my tree!!! You know I love the Old-World, Vintage look and this is just perfect!! Bless You!!


*********

Speaking of Old World & Vintage ... would you like to see another OLD ornaments??? This one is actually from my grandmother's tree and is dated circa 1940's. It is in pretty good shape except for the hanger part. I'm being very careful to wrap it gently in tissue every year so it doesn't deteriate any worse than it already has.

My mom says she remember this one being on their tree at home. Of course there was a LOT of tree to decorate because they had 12' ceilings back in the old farmhouse and once decorated, the tree star touched the ceiling! I remember in my younger years being in AWE when I walked through the door and saw the tree at grandma's house ... WOW, it was GRAND!! Not so much in the decorating, but in the massive size ... it took my breath away!!! And every year when I get out my "special" ornaments to hang on our tree ... these childhood memories come rushing back ... how GRAND!!!

Have a wonderful day everyone! I'm making a surprise for each of my guests who are coming the the party this weekend ... best get back to it or they won't be completed! Thanks for stopping by!!

SCS Sketch Challenge #258

Today's sketch challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers left the doors open to many things and after visiting a friend last evening and seeing some of her creations (waving "Hi" to Sandy) done using the Nestabilities tree die, I just had to give it a whirl and I'm sure glad I did! It worked perfectly for today's creation. I still don't have enough holiday cards to send to everyone I want to send too! Yikes!!

My base card is garden green cardstock and I have used "scraps" from three different holiday designer papers for my background panels. I didn't care for how the two paper designs looks butted up against each other so I threw a 1/2" strip of musial paper over top and I think that helped marry them quite nicely! My sentiment is by Paper Inspirations and the felt poinsetta/leaf are from Hero Arts.

To create the tree, I diecut FOUR trees of the same size ... cut portions of the tree off in a wavy motion using my Fiskars swivel craft knife ... then stacked them using dimensional tape. I have used gold Stickles along the edge that was cut ... that might help you visualize things a little better. I've also used Stickles to "decorate" my tree. The matting was created using aNestabilities decal rectangle die for the ivory panel and Fiskar decal scissors for the green panel.

I hope you enjoyed this little creation ... it was really fun and really very easy! Thanks so much for stopping by today! It is EXTREMELY windy here in NE Ohio today and I can see that I will be REDOING some of my outside decorations after it dies down. The garland across the front of my house is only hanging on by the ends ... the rest is just "blowing in the wind" ... NOT a good thing!! Happy Day my friends!!

Penny's Challenge

Happy Middle of another Week Everyone!!

Time sure is Flying!!!

It's time for another Penny's Challenge and today we are focused on "Christmas Stars". I have a few creations to share with you for this challenge (kind of got carried away, teehee).
This was a fun card to create and I've used images from The Cutting Cafe for my STAR and TREE w/STAR. The base card is Whisper White which has been edged with a gold Pilot marker and the background paper is from the Basic Grey June Bug 6x6 pad. This plaid certainly screams old time Christmas to me. After coloring my tree with Prismacolor Markers, I "decorated" it with Stickles. The sentiment is by Studio G and the presents under the tree are peel & stick foam from Michael's.

These next two cards use the same "Star of Bethlem" image from Stampendous. On both cards, I've stamped the image using gold Brillance ink and embossed with Gold Sparkle embossing powder. Gold metallic cardstock was used to mat both images and both base cards were also edged with a gold Pilot marker.

For the black & white version, I've done extra matting to showcase it better. The only embellishment is the gold organza ribbon which came on a 100 yd. bolt for $2.75 from The Flower Factory ... a local wholesaler.

I know, I'll be really sad when we move from this area because I have some really awesome crafting distributors in my area! Guess I'll just have to make more day trips, teehee!

Please won't you come and join us today on Penny's Challenge. And when you do, don't forget to leave a direct link to your creation over at the challenge blog on Mr. Linky. Can't wait to see your creations. If you're concerned about time ... just think by playing the challenge you can get one more "much needed" Christmas card completed!! Right!!

Also be sure to check out the other design team members creations. Links to their blogs are on my sidebar.

Have a wonderful day! Catch you back here tomorrow ... that is as long as I don't have to appear for jury duty! YEP, I've been summoned for JURY DUTY and so far they haven't pulled my number. I have to check online each day after 4 pm to see if I need to go the next day! So if I'm MIA ... that's where I'll be ... at the Courthouse doing my duty!!!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge & Blog Hop

Hello everyone! You really must check out this week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge. Again, there is a theme attached to the sketch challenge ... this week is "winter wonderland". There is also an AWESOME BLOG HOP going on with so many wonderful prizes up for grabs ... you can check it all out HERE!

Now, onto my creation for today! I decided to use this cute image from an Inkadinkado set called "Christmas Characters". The background papers are from a 12x12 DCWV holiday pack.

This card is so much prettier IRL ... I just couldn't seem to get a good photo to capture the sparkle and charm it has. Here is a listing of items used:

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Papers: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Basic Black, DCWV dp

Inks: Versafine black

Accessories: Creative Memories snowflake puch, Diamond Stickles, Art Deco Crystal Glamour Dust

Hope you enjoyed my creation! Have a wonderful remainder of your day ... hope your getting some awesome shopping deals out there!!

Crafty Secrets - TAG YOUR IT

Today it's my turn to host the challenge over on the SCS Crafty Secrets Forum. I thought it most appropriate for this time of the year to create TAGS. Crafty Secrets has wonderful images to work with and we all need special tags for those special gifts this holiday season! I have created two tags to share with you today!! First is my favorite ... Vintage Santa Tag!


I started with an ivory tag from Paper Reflections which I have covered using musical paper from The Paper Studio. After stamping my Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas Santa onto white paper using Versafine black ink, and coloring the image using Prisma pencils, I used my Nestabilities Labels 4 to cut it out. Before removing it from the die, I've used a sponge and garden green ink to sponge around the image. THEN, I used liquid applique on his hat & beard for dimension. A scrap piece of Christmas Red cs was used for my background panel ... which I added a strip of vintage lace. I used a strip of 1/8" red line tape on top of the lace in order to add my Floracraft Twinklets chunky glitter ... needed that extra sparkle!! A couple strips of green DCWV dp were placed in behind the red panel and JoAnn's holiday ribbon was added to complete my tag. What do you think??

I should have photographed the back ... I sponged using Ranger Vintage Photo ink around the edges of the front musical panel and then "swished" across the back before adding my "To" and "From" sentiments. Looks very vintagey!!

For my second tag, I've gone a little more whimsical using Crafty Secrets Snow Bunnies images. I've started out with a white Paper Reflections tag which I used snowflakes from both the Crafty Secrets Christmas Joy & Snow Bunnies sets and stamped with Bordering Blue to create my background (on both front & back). I had a scrap piece of gold lamay cardstock which I used behind these adorable bunnies! Using Prismacolor Premier Brush Tip Markers, I've colored my images then cut them out with my Fiskars swivel craft knife. I've popped up the mittens next to my sentiment and used Offray metallic ribbon for the top.

*************
I wanted to share this beautiful old bell ornament that came from my husband's (Mark) family tree. It has been around since the early 1950's and Mark says he always remembers it being on the tree ... towards the top where the smaller ornaments were supposed to be.

At my house we put all different sized ornaments all over the tree ... at Mark's house, the ornaments were placed according to their size ... smallest on the top, largest around the bottom. Of course, we always had FRESH Christmas trees when we were growing up and there were usually "gaps" that needed filling in ... that's when the BIG ornaments came into play!!

I have more ornaments and stories to share over the next week. Hope you enjoy them! I would love to hear your comments ... tell me what your fondest tree ornament or decorating story might be. After all, holiday time is a time of sharing ... that means memories & stories too! I look forward to hearing from you ... or if you leave a story on your blog ... please direct me that way and I would LOVE to check it out!! Happy Day my friends!!

Vintage Cards & Ornaments ...

I recently came across some awesome vintage images online and instantly knew I wanted to create with them. I wrote down the website but do you think I can find the piece of paper I wrote it on now!! NO!! When I find it I'll edit this post to give credit where it's due!! Isn't she beautiful!

Here is the recipe for this card:

Papers: Kraft cs, Green cs, DCWV dp

Inks: Ranger Vintage Photo

Accessories: SU Photo Corner punch, gold Stickles, ZIG 2-way glue, Prisma glitter, distresser, JoAnn's holiday ribbon, Bow Easy, sponge

Since I'm in a "VINTAGE" mood, please let me share a few vintage Christmas ornaments with you. This is ONE of the THREE wisemen that came from Mark's family. He said they came from a store that was closed before he remembers going shopping with his Mom. He's thinking late '50's ... and they were always put on the tree!! Now they are put on our tree every year!

This next ornament is one from my family. I have several older ornaments ('30's - '40's) that were my grandmothers and I hope to show those to you in another blog post ... but this is one of my favorites that was always on our family tree throughout my childhood. We always had "bubble lights" (don't know where those got off to) as well as this ornaments that have a little spinner inside and the heat from the lights would make them spin. I have TWO of these spinners but only ONE still spins ... the other one seems to have a problem that I can't figure out ... it spins when I blow into it but it won't spin when it's on the tree! Hmmm??? Anyways, I can remember always being fascinated with these ornaments and would watch them for the longest time as a child. Guess it didn't take much to amuse me!! LOL!!

If you look in the lower right corner, you will see a small circular school photo charm of a little Irish boy from the South Side of Pittsburgh, PA ... yep, that's my Mark as a young boy!

I have taken other photos of decorations throughout my home and will share them with you in bits and pieces ... I'm sure you've seen enough for today! Thanks so much for stopping by and endulging me in my love for vintage.

Hope you have a wonderful day/evening. Please stop back tomorrow when I will have my creations for the SCS Crafty Secrets Forum Challenge to share with you!!

Having Fun ...

... with images from Creations by Penny! As I told you in an earlier post, Penny has started a NEW DIGI SHOPPE and when she asked me (and a few other ladies) to help her out with some sample cards ... I was more than happy to lend her a hand!!

It was very easy to create a card around this wonderful digi sentiment. So many times we find ourselves in stressful life situations and a card like this just might be what is needed to help us "reassess" and move on! In fact I have a friend going through some "stuff" right now ... I think I'll pop this in the mail to her today! If nothing else, hopefully just knowing that someone cares will be enough to help her get through the day!!

This Basic Grey Junebug paper was just perfect for this uplifting creation! I used my SU slit punch for the corners and the SU word window punch for the ribbon slots. My bright yellow satin ribbon is Offray and worked perfectly for this creation. Pretty EASY-PEASY card actually!! Why not pop on over to Penny's SHOPPE and grab yourself this digi sentiment ... I'm sure you know someone that is in need of a "pick me up" card! Penny's running a GRAND OPENING SPECIAL right now too ... perfect timing!!

How about these cuties!! Actually it's ONE image called Flower Girl which I have printed twice. I've paper pieced the outfit and added "lips" to the one hoping to achieve the look of a COUPLE. The papers I've used on this card are from The Paper Studio and K&Co., along with white and red cardstock. My sentiment is from the Crafty Secrets Christmas Joy set and the ribbon is from Michael's. I've used a Fiskar's Swivel Craft Knife to cut out my images, Prismacolor Markers for coloring and Nestabilities for my sentiment panel. A little sponging of red was done before removing my sentiment from the Nestabilities Decal Rectangle die.

I hope you enjoy these creations and are inspired in some manner by them! Here's hoping you have a wonderful day! I'm headed out to do a little Christmas Shopping ... wish me luck!!

Cuttlebugging & Glitz

While sharing crafting time with friends on Friday, Carol Smuts brought & shared her new Holiday Cuttlebug embossing folders with us and I wanted to show you a couple of creations I have made using these folders. She also directed me to the CuttlebugChallenge Blog and wanting to play along this week, I have created with this first card. The theme of the challenge is to use your cuttlebug and GLITZ. Here I have cuttlebugged on silver metallic cardstock then used Green & Silver Stickles to add Glitz to parts of the embossed image. My sentiment is a K&Co. chipboard and the flowers are from Prima.

Using the same embossing folder on red cardstock and adding Green & Gold Stickles I was able to quickly create this beautiful card. My image/sentiment are from the Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas stamp set and I've used this card for the Heartwarming Vintage/Crafty Secrets Challenge for December over on PaperCraft Planet. Using these embossing folders certainly make quick work of holiday cards!!

Speaking of QUICK CARDS ... this creation took all of 5 minutes! Boy, you can't beat that during this busy holiday time!! Using Holiday Green cardstock and this new holiday embossing folder ... my card is all but complete!! I've simply placed it on a burgundy card base, punched out a few circles & snowflake, added a touch of Stickles on the snowflake and viola ... card complete!! How's that for quick card making!!!!

Either of these first two cards also qualify for the Stamp Something - Glitz Challenge so I'll be adding them to that blog challenge as well. Love to share new ideas and I'm really thrilled with the quick turnout of these creations.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you are enjoying your weekend ... maybe decorating with Christmas music in the background ... or shopping online with the same music playing! Whatever you are doing ... hope it has put a smile on your face! Enjoy!

**Penny's New Site and BLOG CANDY**

As most of you know, I am a design team member of Pennys Challenges . WELL, I'm SO EXCITED to tell you that Penny now has a new digi blog (it looks so cool) and it is now up and running! You really must stop over and see for yourself!!

WAIT ... there's more!!! She's also offering some BLOG-CANDY which includes: random craft items, such as card bases, chipboard elements, paper, buttons, flowers, ribbon, etc.

Don't miss out....last day to enter is December 30th!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge - PDCC07

My friend, Julie Campbell (A Vintage Chic) is on the design team for The Play Date Cafe Challenge and not only do I love supporting her efforts, but I'm really enjoying doing these color challenges. This week's challenge is certainly geared towards the holiday so I just had to take the opportunity to go to my Graphic45 designer papers for my creation. There is no stamps or ink used on this card but isn't it pretty??? I wanted to "glitz" it up more but was afraid of taking away from this beautiful image. Hope you like it!

Recipe for this card are as follows:

Papers: Hunter green cardstock, Burgundy card stock, Graphic45 designer paper

Accessories: Martha Stewart loop border punch, Prima flowers, Floracraft Twinklets chunky glitter, K&Co. chipboard, Darice ivory satin ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek! Hope your day is going well and your shopping list is getting shorter! After talking to my daughter today, I now have some gift ideas to go after. Have a great weekend!!

Stamp Simply #116 - Tag it Pretty

This week's Stamp Simply Challenge over on Sharon Johnson's blog was to TAG IT PRETTY! Well, not only did I go for PRETTY ... but SIMPLE! I have a hard time "keeping it simple" but with the help of this Nestabilities Stocking Die, I think I was successful!

I started with a premade tag and covered it with DCWV designer paper and edged it with a Silver Pilot Marker. The stocking was cut from Whisper White cs and after chalking a couple snowflakes with blue/green chalk, I sponged over the entire stocking with Ruby Red ink. My sentiment is from the Crafty Secrets Christmas Joy stamp set and inked with Versafine. My organza ribbon came from a local wholesale company called Flower Factory and was 100 yds. for $2.75 (what a great deal ... I bought a bolt of every color, LOL).

Thanks for stopping by today ... hope you're having a wonderful weekend! Have you started your holiday shopping yet??? Good Luck ...

Saturday Spotlight Time ... Christmas Flowers

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

It's time for another Saturday Spotlight Challenge.

For today's challenge, we are keeping the colors/theme of Christmas in mind and using Flowers on our Christmas creations. We are also thrilled to have Inktegrity as our sponsor this week and not only has Joni shared her awesome digis with the design team to use in our creations, but one lucky winner will receive a $15.00 certificate to Joni's store. Please be sure to hop on over to Joni's store and see what she has to offer for your crafting fun!!

Now don't forget to upload a direct link to your creation to Mr. Linky over on the Saturday Spotlight Challenge Blog and if you're uploading your creation to other online galleries, please use the keyword SSHP10. We look forward to seeing your creations!!!

For my creation, I have used Joni's "Little Helper", "Cozy Snowman" and "Christmas Pie" images. It was great fun to create & color this little scene! The flowers I chose to use are the Prima Holiday Poinsettas. Background paper is DCWV and I've used gold Stickles for a touch of sparkle. All coloring was done with Prisma markers and the sentiment is Hero Arts.

Please be sure to check out the wonderful creations by the other Spotlight Divas.

*Vicki (creator/coordinator) ... *Chris (Coordinator) ... Boni ... Crystal ... Darlene ... Dawn ... Debbie ... Erin ... Jessica ... Maria ... Susan

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy weekend to stop by!! I'm looking forward to having time this week to come visit your blog and see what you've created! Enjoy the challenge!