Nothing better this time of year than a wonderful clementine for a morning snack.
An afternoon showing of "Backyardigans" while curled up on the couch.
And a little time taken to make a crafty wreath together.
I have to show you the outtakes from the photo above, too. Here's my little one with her cheesy grin!
Every year I love making Christmas cards. I start dreaming about the design in November, and can't wait to shop for just the right papers. This year my design even required the purchasing of a new tool!
And then my husband needed to get his wisdom teeth removed, and our already tight budget became a little tighter. Something had to go.
So we made a compromise and I'm pretty happy with the results.
I found a link to some free beautiful holiday cards. I simply inserted a great family photo taken last month at Anne's wedding (yea for not having a stage a special photo shoot!) and then uploaded to scrapbookpictures.com. (My favorite place for color. Costco is my favorite spot for ease, but I had some time.) I ordered the 5x7 size and hit Paperzone for some matching envelopes. I'll share the finished product with you soon, but here's the card we picked.
Another free download and I had a nice sentiment to print out and glue to the back of each photo.
And our annual Christmas Top Ten letter will be a blog post appearing in a day or too right here. Saving money by adding a link in the card, rather than printing out 50 newsletters.
Can't wait to get them in the mail tomorrow!
Wow, is the internet ever a delightful wealth of inspiration this time of year. I wish I had an unlimited budget and plenty of free time and everyone on my list would be getting something homemade. However, we are all limited so I picked a few favorites to attempt.
I took this simple idea, added some pink pins instead, and created this pretty thing. I made it for an ornament exchange, but wouldn't mind if I come back home with it!
I also took this tutorial for reverse-applique and attempted a couple matching shirts for my girls. Just don't look too closely as I haven't been sewing for long and the straight line is somehow elusive to me. Oh yeah, and the back of Dani's shirt has some nice holes in it where I accidently sewed it to the front.
But from far away, they're pretty darn cute.
One Pretty Thing is pretty much my favorite crafty site as she does all the rounding-up for me.
Here are some more crafts I've bookmarked:
I've always wanted to host a ornament party where girls bring a box full of plain ornaments and go home with gorgeous ones. These glittery ornament balls would definitely be a part.
I need me a "Merry Christmas" banner and this one is perfect.
My snowglobe broke this year :(. This waterless one would be a fun replacement.
Got some old paperback books lying around? Turn them into gorgeous trees. Or turn your child's favorite book into a keepsake ornament. (Mmmm...add this one to the ornament party as well!) Or make some adorable mini wreaths.
These felt trees are beautiful.
Some easy countdown blocks. These would be a great MOPs craft for next year!
Another glass ornament. This one takes some acrylic paint.
And here are some ideas to try with your kiddos.
Next year I am so gonna save toilet paper rolls and make this nativity!
We always buy clearance bows after Christmas, and we've got lots. I think Daisy would love to make this wreath. Maybe tomorrow?
Candy canes with adorable packaging!
A wreath made with marshmallows? Brilliant!
Leaving some cookies for Santa? How about some reindeer food too? Recipe and printable card!
These okra print gift tags are lovely. And Daisy is really good at stamping, she could probably manage these.
(This post will be at the top all week. Scroll now for new posts.)
In the sidebar there on the left are two photo albums. One called "Gift Card Purses" and the other "Gift Card Envelopes". If you are planning to give gift cards to anyone this Christmas, read on and then click on over!
You see, we're making some of those Gift Card Purses and MOPS next week and while I was designing all the kits, I had a crazy idea to make some myself to sell to friends and family. When my friends saw what I was doing they were excited, and told me I had to make some more "manly" envelopes as well. So I put a quick design together for those.
And then I sold a whole bunch. Which was really awesome because it helped us with the Christmas budget this month! A friend invited me to sell some more at a retirement home her Grandmother lives at,and since my inventory was low I spent a weekend making a bunch more.
Unfortunately, the retirees were sweet and lovely and didn't buy much. So now I've got this inventory. Why not throw them up here and offer them to you my dear sweet readers?
Purses are $4 each, 2 for $7 or 3 for $10.
Envelopes are $2 each or 3 for $5.
Shipping is $1.00 total. Order as many as you like, shipping will only be $1.00.
I don't have a fancy shop setup, so I can take a paypal payment or a personal check. Over there on the right, under my picture, is a "email me" button. Just click that and let me know which one(s) you'd like, where to ship them, and how you'd like to pay, and we'll make it happen.
And just for fun, to see if you've read this far, leave a comment letting me know your favorite design (purse or envelope) and on Sunday I'll draw a winner to receive a free gift card purse! (Winner's choice based on the inventory at the time.)
Thanks for indulging me!
I have big dreams of spending hours doing crafts with my daughters, but we're definitely not there yet. And since we've got to start somewhere instilling crafting love, I'm on the hunt for preschool-friendly-do-it-in-five-minutes-or-less kind of crafts.
On Monday I hosted my first ever preschool craft event. I offered room for 5 kiddos, but only 2 came. I think that was great because it was a much more maneagable scene.
First up on our list was a craft from a recent issue of Family Fun Magazine which involved paints! Our first foray into real paints!
Here's the example I whipped up:
Supplies:
Directions: (Use your discretion of which jobs you do and which you have your kiddos do)
Here's the two-year-old version:
Crayons optional: (but since they were on the table to draw a "cloud" they must be used!)
I think we might try this craft again next fall, but overall I was pretty impressed with her version. (By the way:I'm all about letting kids do crafts their own way. If you buy a craft kit and expect kids to make it exactly like the packaging, you're gonna be dissapointed. Or you're gonna be doing it for them. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, what with my OCD craftiness, but my time spent in Children's Ministry has really helped. Kids need to learn to create and express themselves, not be taught how to do a craft exactly as shown: that's what math is for!)
Our second craft of the day was pretty simple.
Supplies:
Directions:
Hints:
This was a pretty simple one, but Daisy enjoyed placing the leaves and pushing them down onto the sticky paper.
Next up...Christmas crafts!
One of my projects for this fall was to make a tactile bin for Daisy. So each trip to the grocery store we picked up a bag of beans and slowly began a collection.Then earlier this summer Darin found a bucket full of beans in the craft barn at camp. He wasn't sure if camp would ever use them so he brought them home for us. Score!
We found a shallow tub and some random things for pouring and Daisy went to town. She was enthralled with it for a long time and Darin got her in the habit of picking up any spilled beans right away.
We also went to Goodwill and picked up a few more fun things to add to the bin. Daisy picked out a little pot and lid and would not let them go. "Buy for me?" she kept asking in her adorable way.
And see that chair there? The bean bin fits perfectly underneath it until we're ready to play again.
This pile of ribbon on my desk was making me so happy yesterday.
I think I'm going to like my new gig as Creative Activities Coordinator for MOPs just fine.
Oh, and here's the craft we're making for our first meeting, a little greeting card organizer:
I haven't scrapped in a while. Wanna hear some excuses? My pregnant back isn't up to the task of sitting at the desk chair for extended periods of time. I recently reorganized my stuff and I can't bring myself to start messing with all the niceness of everything in its place. Most of the shows I watch on the computer while I scrap are on summer break. And I've really enjoyed relaxing on the couch or bed in the evening with my hubby and my cross-stiching lately.
But about a month ago I did make it to a friends house for a little crop. And while I usually save my journaling (and often the title) for when I get home, I managed to begin these three pages that night.
Christmas Eve
"December 24, 2008 Bright & colorful tree. Stockings full. Santa present delivered, the rest all wrapped. Quiet. Ready for the magic of Christmas morning."
Book Lover
"and mess maker. You love to pull all the books off your shelf. I think I put them back every day."
Rally in the Valley
"My first time competing in Darin's family's annual 'Rally in the Valley' tournament was in 2002. A hot September day in Quincy and a second place finish. We were so sore the next dya, but sure had a lot of fun."
Daisy at 22 months
Remember this post from a few months ago? Well, I decided it needed to be made into a mini-album.
I dug out one of my favorite special publications (Album Shortcuts) from one of my favorite scrapbook magazines (Simple Scrapbooks, sob, now out of print) and found a "recipe" to use. This book is full of mini album ideas with great instructions on using them as "recipes" to create your own albums.
I grabbed some papers and a package of embellishments from my favorite new collection by American crafts (backyard) because the bright colors and fun prints just suit our little Daisy so well. I used Photoshop to print the photos 2x3 and publisher to make journaling blocks. I had to be careful to match the right amount of horizontal blocks with horizontal photos, but it wasn't too hard.
A little corner rounder action and glue stick and this album came together in a flash.
Once the pages were underway I went to my local scrapbooking store to find a 6x6 album. I ended up buying the only one they had, which I really like. Unfortunately the interior pages aren't too sturdy and since Daisy loves to look through this album I have to supervise closely. I'll try to remember that in the future!
And since my little buddy was supervising as I took pictures of pages and albums, I decided to turn the camera on her and practice a little exposure compensation. Man...how the learning process goes so much easier when you have a willing (and immoble) subject!
Summer Day
"Darin had the morning off to help his boss out with Vacation Bible Camp and I was still on maternity leave. That July afternoon was just too hot to go back to work, so we joined a whole bunch of church friends at Bloedel Donovan park on Lake Whatcom for boat rides and swimming. Darin had to bring along his giant super soakers, and even Daisy found a good spot to take a nap. A perfectly lovey summer afternoon. 7/11/07"
Her new toy?
I made this page over a year ago but one of the pictures got scratched and it took me this long to finally order a replacement.
"I was so excited to buy this gift for Daisy. But what did she want to play with? The mint box and pail of nuts from Gramps' stocking. No more fancy toys for her!"
Christmas 2008
I decided to make this collage of Christmas memories to go in my album. Some of these images are scrapped separately for Daisy's album. I used a free photo collage template and printed them out on my own printer.
Nice Try
My goal was to make this page look all "lovey" until you read the journaling!
"Every so often Darin gets the urge to let his facial hair grow and it just never really works out. I can tolerate the scruffy only so long and it just never fills out well. Eventually he'll get tired of not kissing me and shave it off. Good thing I love him either way."
Winter Wonderland
I made this page with a kit I won last month. Turns out the woman who makes the kits is from Idaho Falls, a place where someone I know and love also lives!
Easter Card
Free Day
Journaling taken directly from the blog post about our day at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.
a BUSY Easter
"This year I led a children's choir that sang during both the celebration and regular service. We celebrated with Darin's step-brother Kenny as he was baptized. And I also sang on the worship team during the main service that morning. Whew...it was a busy one. Darin? He took pictures! 2003"
cupboards
"Little Miss One-Year-Old, you are so curious! We have locked most of our cupboards in order to keep you out, but have kept a few open for you to explore. And explore you do--by climing right inside! You're always keeping us on our toes. (Summer 2008)"
my big win!
"I never do the carnival games. They are too expensive and I'm sure I wouldn't be very good at it. But at the fair in Lynden this year I decided to give it a go. Rolling balls up a little incline to race a boat. Crazy as it was, I won! That's me standing up and cheering, I was so excited. And there's my new little friend I won. Not the giant toy, but perfect for me. Thanks Darin for letting me play! 8/11/05"
And thanks, readers, for letting me share!
I made these two pages this summer and never shared them with y'all. So I thought while I've got a new stack sitting here to photograph and share, that I'd better get it done.
Since you asked so nicely! (It's really hard to take pictures of curtains with the whole light coming through the window thing.)
We wanted something small and just decorative, since the room is pretty dark. We copied the curtain style in our dining hall.
Finding the fabric was a little tricky since our chairs are apholstered in burgandy and our dishes are purple/blue. But Mom spotted this one just as we were about to give up.
I think they are perfect.
Mom and Dad pulled out yesterday for Olympia and I miss them so much already. Not just because they were always helping me, but mostly just their presence. I'm glad they'll be in WA for a few more weeks so we'll see them again before another LONG stretch of travel.
Things are a little easier with the presence of someone else. More on that later...
I made Mr. Sam a present for when he brings his mama to visit me next week. (Next week, already?! I am beyond excited for days--DAYS people, not just hours--with this girly of mine.) I asked Sam's mama to send me some pictures of his first month so I could put the whole thing together. And now I think I'll tease her with a little preview.
So fun to do as I learn more and more about Photoshop. Mmmmm...maybe every month?
ps: Miss Jen, if you wanna bring along some photos I'll share my scrapping supplies with you!
Last week in line for the BBQ a counselor told us this question a camper had asked her a few weeks ago. The camper was very worried about our little one. I laughed so hard and knew I just had to make a page with a great shot of Daisy from this summer.
"Potpourri, what if Daisy grows up and thinks that's her real name?" Camper to Counselor, summer '08
Now that I'm home all day, and Darin is working late into the night (hopefully that won't last past the summer) I've had some chances to sneak into my new crafty space and play.
At first, I added journaling to some pages already done.
"We Love Joe" (for the college album)
Journaling: From making fancy cheescake, to teaching us how to change tires, we loved when Joe would visit. Okay, Jen loved it the most.
"Aunt Jen"
Journaling: I have to admit, one of the things that crossed my mind when deciding whether or not to go forward with the C-section was Jen. She had booked a flight on our "best guesses" and I didn't want her to miss Daisy and be stuck with overly-pregnant me. Jen did arrive the day after Daisy was born and was such an amazing help. She got me up and walking, changed my hospital bed, did loads of laundry, cleaned the house, drove me to appointments and the store, ran errands and picked up meds, and held Daisy so these tired parents could get some sleep. Having her with us for those few days of being new parents was wonderful and it was hard to let her go. (Good thing Gran was there to take over!) Just one more reason why I love this girl so much.
"Loungin"
Journaling: Whenever we take Daisy out in her stroller, she loves to put her legs up on the bar. On this day we were exploring Columbia State Park in California (on a break from a camp interview) and everyone got a good chuckle at her, kicked back and enjoying the ride.
And then some new pages!
"Happy Girl" (I copied this one from my newest favorite scrap book: Real Life Scrapbooking. She's got whole chapter about using others' layouts as a starter for yours in order to save time. So I don't feel bad at all about "scraplifting" as we say. Of course, the journaling is all mine.)
Journaling: Daisy, You are such a Happy Girl. Everyone says so. You are always smiling and laughing. You charm everyone you meet. Including us!
"Cozy"
Journaling: On a chilly Saturday in October Debbie had a cyclo-cross race in Bellingham. Mom and Dad were also in town for Daisy's dedication, so we all bundled up and headed to Cornwall park to watch Debbie ride. It was a cold morning but Daisy was so toasty warm she even managed to take a little snooze. All the riders and spectators were jealous.
"Jet Setter"
Journaling: At 3 months old you went on two separate plane trips: once to California for an interview, and once with Mama to Spokane for a girls weekend. You were such a good traveler, just sleeping, nursing, and playing. You made friends with all the other passengers and we were so proud of you.
That's all for now. I've got a couple projects I'm working on, including a little BIG wedding album that I'm hoping to have done before the first anniversary! Thanks for letting me share my little hobby with y'all.
Daisy's birthday party was a ton of fun. We had just the right amount of guests, food, cake and presents. She woke up from her nap just as guests were arriving and LOVED being the center of attention for so long. I did something a little out of the ordinary and only took 2 pictures the whole time. My sister was snapping like crazy and has a good party re-cap on her blog. And when I heard my friend Sherry (who took those lovely maternity shots) was coming to the party, I asked her to bring her fancy camera along and she quickly agreed. So I'm patiently waiting to see what she was able to capture.
For now, enjoy my shots of the party table and the cute banner I had fun making, and Daisy eating her lunch.
Awhile ago I found a blog called Card Positioning System that publishes a weekly sketch for designing cards. I really liked the idea and have been enjoying it ever since. But this week was the first time I had a chance to play along. Since I needed a card to go with a package for little Sam, I found some great scraps and got to work.
The sketch is pretty simple, open to lots of interpretation:
So this is what I made. Card making is an awesome way to use up scraps! I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I've got to get better at actually sending cards out!
So in addition to my dinner and jewelery, Darin was working his magic on a homemade gift as well. I tried to photograph it, but it doesn't photograph well. It's this cool little interactive picture frame and is being enjoyed in my new scrappy space.
But you know the best part of Darin doing crafty stuff? I get his leftovers!!!
So last week I went to work and used my new toy to make a set of cards. So fun!
