Gettin' By

As the shopping days drop to single digits...

Hey y'all!  Just popping in amidst the holiday preparation frenzy to say hello.  I am madly trying to finish up my Christmas to-do list this week, as we are heading up to the mountains on Saturday to get in some skiing before Santa rolls into town!  And speaking of the jolly ol' elf, he just happened to be having brunch at our golf course on Sunday, so we got to put in our last minute gift requests:

I'm a little concerned because although Santa was very familiar with the kiddos wishes for new Transformers and Barbie dream houses, he seemed a little perplexed by my requests for a new Canon zoom lens, a truckload of kraft cardstock and a live-in housekeeper.  I'm hoping Mrs. Claus will clarify why these three items are critical to my well being.

Hope your Tuesday is filled with wonderful holiday wishes!

Friday Festivities.

OK, first off I need to announce the winner of the Vintage Christmas eBook from Ella.  Random.org selected the number 28:

Which means Shelly is the winner of the book! 

Yay Shelly!  Email me and I will get you the code for your free download.

Today I am trying to finish up Christmas cards  - I have envelopes to address and I HATE that part.  But if I can get them done, I'm going to reward myself by spending some time with the new Studio Calico kit, Orchestra.  I'll leave you all with a few festive projects I recently completed for the Jenni Bowlin Inspiration blog - enjoy!

 

These tags are super easy!  Just print out this tag template on kraft cardstock, adhere a JBS Bingo card, a small embellishment and some twine - done!

 

A lit-up photo of your house decorated for the holidays makes a perfect card! Um, no, this isn't my house...I totally cheated and used a stock photo.  But I do have photograph house with lights on my to-do list this weekend!

Nothing says love like a stick in the ground.

Those of you that know me well probably would not put "excellent driver" on my list of attributes.  I tend to be a fairly aggressive with both the gas and brake pedal, convinced that other drivers are on the road merely to test my already limited patience.  I'm often more focused on my destination rather than the actual route to the destination, and the fact that my newest car has the capacity to hold a venti latte and blast any given playlist on my ipod only further serves to distract me from the task I'm actually in the vehicle for.  And I'm sure all those hours racing Mario Kart have done nothing for my road skills.  Other than pretty much guarantee that I'll be needing a new set of brakes in the next 2,000 miles.

Add to that the fact that I am usually accompanied by two creatures in the backseat that are demanding a NEW SONG! or ROLL MY WINDOW DOWN! or I DROPPED MY GOLDFISH IN THE SEAT CRACK AND NEED IT BACK RIGHT NOW! or HAYDEN TOUCHED ME! or RIELY STINKS! and you will begin to see why I am sometimes a distracted driver.

That distraction has led to me to be a bit careless when it comes to backing out of our driveway.  Sometimes my tires stray off the pavement into the tree lawn or over the curb.  Which wouldn't be so bad, except there happens to be a sprinkler head approximately 1/4" off the edge of our driveway. And it's become well acquainted with my tire, a fact my husband was less than happy about.

To try and assist me (and keep from replacing the sprinkler head on an alarmingly regular basis), Mike installed an idiot stick at the edge of the driveway, which is basically a reflective marker that indicated where I shouldn't drive.  Which apparently is defined as the tree lawn.  Who knew?  I'd been doing fairly well using my mirrors and navigating out of the driveway correctly until recently when it snowed. And as everyone knows, when it snows, you need a scarf, tied rakishly around your neck (you can check this in your car's vanity mirror!) And a big warm mug of coffee with you in the car.  And those things just might distract you when you are backing out of the driveway until WHAP! you realize too late that you've just run over said stick.  And even though it pops right back up, the tracks in the snow make it very evident that you ventured into the forbidden area that is Sprinkler-Head Land. Ooooops.

When I arrived home that evening, Mike was waiting for me in the driveway, standing right by the smoking tire tracks.  I sheepishly tried to make numerous excuses, but he just offered a resignated sigh before officially crowning me The World's Worst Driver.  To which I had only one reply:  OH YEAH?  WELL I CAN KICK YOUR ASS IN MARIO KART!

So in honor of all he puts up with, I did this page for the KI Memories blog as a little ode to my patient, though currently exasperated, husband:

all supplies (except baker's twine) by KI Memories

He puts up with me and all my crazy and sometimes dim-witted antics.  And he still loves me.  For that, I am grateful.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hey don't go away yet!  I have another exciting giveaway from Ella Publishing, who would like to give one of you readers a free download of their latest eBook:

 

Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts by Margie Romney-Aslett and daughters Megan and Brooke. Whether you're trying to get crafty between batches of cookies or you've got a whole weekend to revel in your creativity, we've got the Christmas project for you! Crafting rockstar Margie Romney-Aslett and her daughters have pulled together nine totally glitter-tastic ideas in Ella Publishing Co.'s latest eBook. Put on your favorite Christmas album, brew up a mug of cocoa, and pick your crafting poison.

Leave me a comment here and tomorrow I will draw one name to receive a free download of this amazing book.  Don't want to wait that long?  Ella is also offering a 25% off coupon for that title, valid through 12/13/09.  Just enter the code CRAFTY09 at checkout.

Happy Thursday!

The Season of Sharing.

Thanks for all your sweet comments on the JBS! I asked my little elves to pick a number between 1 and 83 they chose 22, which means Karen is the winner of the goodies!

Karen, please email your address and I will get your stuff in the mail!

So on to more sharing...I am making a concerted effort this season to incorporate more sharing and giving into our advent celebration.  I'm also trying to get the kiddos involved as much as possible so they will be a part of something more than just wish lists to Santa this Christmas.  I set a goal of doing 12 acts of giving through out December, and here are just some of my ideas:

Salvation Army's Angel Tree.  This website allows you to select children in need in your area and lists both their needs and wants.  Each of my kids selected an angel that was their same age and sex, and then we shopped for clothing and a toys from each wish list.  JC Penney is sponsoring this cause and they make it very easy to buy your gifts online and will ship the items to your angel free of charge.

Toys for Tots. Follow the link to find the local chapter of this great charity. Even if you don't have time to shop for a toy, there are lots of other options for giving.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  Each year, we select some items from the animals' Wish List and mail them a care package for Christmas.  My kids love shopping for gifts for the animals, especially the toys and treats that are often on the list.  You can also check with your local animal shelter, as many are in need of food, blankets, and cleaning supplies this time of year.

Gabby Krause Foundation - Bags of Fun.  This toy drive collects items to be given to children with cancer or other life threatening illnesses at the Denver Children’s Hospital.  Riely's school is participating in the toy drive, so together we selected several toys and activities for children that will be in the hospital over the holidays and beyond.

Local Food Drives.  Hayden's school is collecting food for the Erie Food Bank, and he helped me shop for items to donate, noting that he wanted to make sure there were some kid foods in our donation.  So we picked out shaped mac-n-cheese, alphabet soup, and some kids cereals to include.

There are also simpler ways to make an impact right in your neighborhood.  Offer to shovel snow for a neighbor, or help and elderly person decorate their home for the holidays.  Bake cookies to give to your mailman or milkman.  Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive-through at Starbucks. Give an extra big tip to your waiter the next time you dine out.  Let a car cut in front of you at the mall.  Smile and greet people in public. Foster a feeling of merriment this season!

How ever you choose to celebrate, I hope you'll be inspired to give a little bit of yourself this season. I'd love to hear your ideas on giving and sharing...and how you keep the true meaning of the holidays alive.

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Sharing some JBS.

Today I wanted to share my pages from the Jenni Bowlin Mercantile December kit with you all.  It was one of those kits that practically designs the pages all by itself - so easy to work with!  Lots of October Afternoon mixed in with some of Jenni's own papers and journal cards and the most adorable little tin of filmstrip from Tim Holtz - my favorite product in the whole kit!  The design team's kits shipped without the cardstock (it wasn't ready yet!) so I pulled some from my stash for these pages:

patterned paper (October Afternoon) + journal spots (JBS) + letters (American Crafts) + buttons

This was the first page I did and I picked these photos of H in the blue shirt thinking they would work well with the red & green papers.  I used a gray cardstock background rather than white so the white-bordered photos would pop.

patterned paper (October Afternoon, JBS) + letters (American Crafts) + digital frame (Katie Pertiet, DesignerDigitals.com) + spray ink (Maya Road) + date label (JBS) + border punch (Fiskars) + brad (Making Memories) + vintage label & ticket, beaded millinery flower

It's very subtle here, but I used the cream metallic Maya Mists on a pale grey cardstock for this background.  When you tilt the page in the light, the mist gives just a bit of sparkle - so pretty!  I layered a bunch of the scraps and vintage pieces in the kit to make a background for my filmstrip-bordered photos. 

patterned paper (October Afternoon, JBS) + letters (American Crafts) + journal card (JBS) + transparency (Tim Holtz) +  beaded wire (May Arts) + vintage tag

I am loving the combo of red & gray these days and I've been dying to use some of this vibrant Bazzill cardstock (it's called Candy Apple-yum!)  I slipped in a bit of the scalloped white cardstock for contrast.

patterned paper (October Afternoon, JBS) + journal card (JBS) + numbers (American Crafts) + rub ons (JBS) + transparency & charm (Tim Holtz)

I originally had the filmstrip across the bottom of the page with no photos behind it.  But the page needed some color, so I printed tiny index-sized prints to slip behind it.  It gives a punch of color as well as a pretty good overview of the vacation.

patterned paper (October Afternoon) + journal circle (JBS) + letters (American Crafts) + vintage key charm

Naturally I had to use the OA map paper for a page about Hayden's first driving lesson :)  The little key charm from the project kit was another no-brainer for this page!

So to celebrate the sharing season, I thought I'd offer a small token of my appreciation to you readers.  Leave me a comment today and on Wednesday I'll draw a name to receive a few new goodies from JBS:

 

Happy Monday!!

I think we'll get Bob a big wedge of Gouda.

Every year during the week of Thanksgiving, a local Denver radio station replaces their normal programming with Christmas and holiday music for the duration of the season.  And don't you know that as soon as they make that switch, my car radio is tuned to that station (much to the chagrin of my dear husband, who knows that during this time of year, every car ride is another opportunity for me to break into loud and, most likely, out-of-tune Christmas carols with overt enthusiasm that is only spurred on by the embarrassed and horrified look on his face.)

At any rate, the kids and I were out and about running errands last week when the seasonal favorite Feliz Navidad came on.  We all joined in singing with much gusto, especially little Riely Grace.  And just when I was beginning to marvel at her grasp of the Spanish language, I realized exactly how she was singing the chorus:

POLICE BARBIE DOLL!  POLICE BARBIE DOLL!

(Not to be confused with the ever-popular Fireman Barbie Doll or Riot Control Barbie Doll.)

Needless to say, I almost drove off the road I was laughing.so.hard.

Later that day, Hayden and I were still giggling about the misheard lyrics while we came up with a completely new chorus for the song:

Police Barbie Doll
Police Barbie Doll
Police Barbie Doll, and a ferret named Tanya
And some cheese for Bob.

So now every time that song comes on the car radio (which happens surprisingly often, you know) we all break into spontaneous laughter and belt out our very own version, with sincerest apologies to José Feliciano.  Nothing like a little family bonding over low-brow humor to usher in the holiday season, am I right?!?

Over the long weekend...

We got the house ready for hosting the big feast:

We baked and cooked and roasted and basted and sauteed and steamed...and then ATE lots of delicious food.

We celebrated, laughed, and toasted with family.

We gave thanks for the blessing in our lives.

We washed and dried lots and lots of dishes.

We put together four jigsaw puzzles.

We watched many, many hours of football games.

We went to see a movie (kid's pick - Planet 51).

We got a majority of our Christmas shopping completed.

We decorated our Christmas tree:

 

 

We gathered every extension cord in the house, preparing for the hanging of the exterior lights.

We untangled strings of lights.

We untangled more strings of lights.

We used some choice swear words while untangling more lights.

We wondered who the idiot was that put the lights away last year all tangled.

We thought drinking a beer might help us untangle the lights.

We hung lights. We drank beer.

We almost fell off the ladder.  Twice.  (Beer companies might want to consider adding hanging Christmas lights to the list of activities to avoid while drinking beer.)

We decided the second level of our house is way too high to hang exterior lights. Especially when you are holding a beer.

We called it quits on hanging lights and decided to go out to dinner instead.

We wrapped up the weekend with another feast at Rock Bottom Brewery.

We let them wash the dishes.

And what did YOU do this holiday weekend?

Giving Thanks 2009 {Project 3}

The big day is almost here!  Around our house, we are baking cornbread (for the stuffing), dusting & cleaning, and getting the dinner table set. One element I am incorporating into the table settings are small tags featuring "thankful" quotes that will be on each guest's napkin:

 

I printed the tags on kraft cardstock, cut out the tag shape, and lightly inked the edges with brown ink.  After punching a hole on the end, the tags easily attach to the napkins with a bit of raffia.

 

Here are some of the quotes I used:

For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.   -Clarence E. Hodges

The thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.  -Henry Ward Beecher

Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.  -William Shakespeare

Thanksgiving Day comes but once a year, but to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.   -Edward Sandford Martin

Let us rise up and be thankful.   -Buddha

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.   -Unknown

You can find more quotes by searching for the keyword "thankful" or "gratitude" at sites like thinkexist.com, quotegarden.com, and quoteland.com.  Enjoy!

Giving Thanks 2009 {Project 2}

Since the Giving Thanks Blog Hop is celebrating the season of gratitude, I thought it would be fitting to feature my little thank-you card project:

patterned paper (KI Memories) + faux twigs (Hobby Lobby) + baker's twine + font (Fling)

This set uses the KI Memories Heirloom line, and you can download the template for the leaves and tags right here.  A bit of twine and some foam adhesive, and they are done!  They would be make a perfect hostess gift, or keep them for yourself to write thank-yous for your holiday gifts!

Now go check out these other blogs for more inspiration!

Debbie Hodge
Kelly Purkey
May Flaum
Patti Milazzo
Stacey Kingman 
Stephenie Hamen
Margot Potter
Lain Ehmann
Margie Romney-Aslett 
Rhonna Farrer
Wendy Smedley
Jodie McNally
Liz Hicks
Becky Novacek
Jennifer McGuire
Elizabeth Kartchner
Allison Kreft Abad

Giving Thanks 2009 {A Blog Hop}

I am so excited to be participating in the Giving Thanks Blog Hop! For the next week, some amazingly talented ladies will be featuring projects on their blogs that center around gratitude. This diverse group of artists will be sharing layouts, cards, projects, recipes, and inspiration that celebrate the Thanksgiving season. I encourage you to hop around each day and see what you can find!  You'll likely see something that sparks your creativity, but more importantly, you'll be inspired to reflect on the blessings in your own life. {A complete list of the participants and their websites is listed at the end of this post.}

The first project I wanted to share with you is a simple layout that documents my gratitude for a particular day this fall when I got to spend the morning with my kids at our local pumpkin patch. It was one of those perfect outings with beautiful weather, cooperative siblings, and lots of great photos as a result. :)

 

perforated tickets (sei) + letters (K&Company) + flowers (Making Memories) + font (Traveling Typewriter) + buttons

Now go check out these other fabulous ladies, alrighty?!? Clicking on their name will take you directly to their blogs.  Happy hopping!

Debbie Hodge
Kelly Purkey
May Flaum
Patti Milazzo
Stacey Kingman 
Stephenie Hamen
Margot Potter
Lain Ehmann
Margie Romney-Aslett 
Rhonna Farrer
Wendy Smedley
Jodie McNally
Liz Hicks
Becky Novacek
Jennifer McGuire
Elizabeth Kartchner