Is it Christmas Already?

I wasn't going to do Christmas this year....been so busy with "other important stuff" that I just didn't think I'd have the time. So what could possibly be more important than Christmas?!!! Sigh...sorry, I can't post about it just yet...but I will definitely have a lot to share about this "other" project in a few months from now...

For the first time in 31 years we didn't put up a tree to decorate in our home. It usually takes me several days to decorate the tree and another several days to take it down after holidays...this was time I just didn't have this year. The only tree I had time for was this tiny one I decorated to take to my fil's grave. Happily, it brought some holiday spirit into my heart so I could sneak in just a few more quickie holiday projects...




And though I had also decided I wouldn't be doing my usual 100 handmade Christmas cards this year, I knew there was no getting out of making the batches of cereal mix dh passes out to his co-workers every Christmas. Baked up two batches and packed them into twenty plastic jars for giving....but they looked so naked that I just HAD to come up with something quick and simple to dress them up just a little bit!

Printed up strips of Echo Park digital patterned paper from their "All I Want For Christmas" set which was on sale over at Jessica Sprague.com to go around the jars. Love that I can purchase papers online and download them immediately to use even in the middle of the night when all the stores are closed... the procrastinator and late night crafter's dream come true!

The little peeking polar bears are a cut I actually designed in Make the Cut last year but didn't have time to put to use last Christmas. Labels were printed from my computer and cut using Nestabilities Labels Four dies.

I loved that the polar bears were so quick and easy to put together that I couldn't resist cutting out a few extras in a smaller size to put on gift tags... but sadly, that was the extent of my holiday projects for this year. Used the Nestabilities Lacey Circle die and Marvy Uchida 2" scalloped circle punch for the base of the tag, an old Quickutz die for the holly and Fiskars hand punch for the heart.

One last project I want to share are these goodies dh brought home from work this week. This adorable decorated take out box filled with an assortment of yummy cookies and this "too-darned- cute-to-eat" decorated Santa cooky were created by Heather. Isn't she amazing?
Hope everyone is having a wonderful time celebrating the holidays with friends and family. Merry Christmas!

A World of Thanks

Here's a quick and simple card I came up with for a couple of extremely kind and helpful guys who came to my rescue a while ago when I had some trouble with my car. My dear friend Kris and I were on our way to our monthly Cricut Club meeting when my old car stalled right in the middle of the street where she lives, blocking all traffic. We were two helpless damsels in distress when two of Kris' neighbors came to our rescue to help us move my car to the side of the road. 

Really don't know what I would have done without their help! Thanks to their quick thinking and help, we were able to make it to our meeting on time and I later called AAA to have the car towed to the repair shop. I enclosed a couple of free chili tickets in the cards as a meager token attempt to express my appreciation for their kindness. Isn't it heartwarming and reassuring to know that there are people in our world as these two who will unselfishly come to the aid of those in need? Thank you, guys... you are special indeed!
(Deets on the card: Heart-shaped world cut using Give A Hoot and banner from Wedding Solutions cartridge.)

Sending A Latte Love

This was the card I sent to my dd for her birthday in October. Really wanted to do something using CottageCutz' Shih Tzu Peeker die for her...thought she'd get a kick out of how much it resembles our own little doggy, Latte...

Decided I wanted to have the puppy peeking out of a teacup...because afterall. she's a Latte...LOL, couldn't resist the play on words!  Teacup is from the Love You A Latte cartridge...cut this in several layers and surrounded it with a few sweet treats cut from CottageCutz' Stacked Candies die. My collection of dies from this company has been steadily growing...I just love these intricate and detailed dies and how they cut so clean!

For the inside of my card I used a Pop Up Stage technique, which I first saw used  by Jenny over at Sister Stamps.  I loved the wonderful staggered winter scene she created and I knew I had to give it a try too. The tutorial for this card by the very talented Kim Score can be found at Splitcoast Stampers.

Unlike the usual pop up card where the pop up elements are adhered to the back panel of the card, the tabs for the pop up stage card are hidden underneath the "stage".

Used a lot of different dies for the inside of the card. Doggie, tiered cake, and round balloons are from CottageCutz, presents are from Quickutz, heart shaped balloons from  the Create A Critter cartridge, and banner from the Wild Card cartridge. I used clear acetate for the tabs on the balloons to give the illusion that they were floating in air.

Had loads of fun putting this together! Can't wait to try this stage pop up card technique again soon....