Just A Card Today

I've had a busy day with errands and chores. I finally got to sit down at my crafting table for a few minutes to make a friend a get well card.





I am not great at card making but I am learning and getting better at it. Now if my friend will just get better!

After A Day Of Pampering...

Yes you read that right I pampered myself today!

I took my daughter out shopping. She wanted to get hair extensions with her Christmas money and so she did (and I have to admit she is so cute with them!) I wanted to cry when she kept telling me she wanted to cut her beautiful hair off. When I finally gave in I allowed her to get 15 inches cut off of it and it was still in the middle of her back but since then she has been getting it shorter and shorter and now she wants it long when she wants it long and short when she wants it short.

Anyway we then went to Achievers. One of my favorite retail scrap booking stores. Today was the release date for the QuicKutz Exclusive Valentines Dies and I had to have them. So I was lucky and used some of my Christmas money and a load of coupons. I love getting new toys.

So now tonight I am posting a card/invitation that I made. I am going to have friends over for dinner and thought an invitation would be nice. It was an easy card using my Boss Kuts and QuicKutz Dies and took minutes to make.

The front of the invite looks like this:

.

And when you open it up I used both sides of the card to do the invite and it looks like this:



Now I must get busy with new ideas for January! My brain has been on vacation because of the holiday. (I just wanted to spend time with my family and friends over this past week and with New Year's Day just around the corner there are more parties and festivities to attend. I love this time of year but I am also glad when it all comes to a close and we start the new year. Just a couple more days.

I hope that all of you have a happy, healthy, & prosperous NEW YEAR!

Last Minute Cards To Hold Money Or Gift Cards

Life gets so busy sometimes that you only have a few minutes to sit down and create a card or two. That is what has happened to me. Christmas is only a week away and I needed a card for my mailman that would hold a gift card and I needed money holders for my God-Children. So today I took 30 minutes and made 3 cards using 3 different methods.

First a card to hold a gift card for the mailman. A somewhat generic card because I don't know him that well and I do not know if he is a Christian Man or not (and to be honest I don't care.) He is a wonderful mail man.


This card is made from a couple of QuicKutz Dies and one Boss Kut die.


Card Front:



Card Inside:



Then for my God-Daughter who is 13 years old who I love dearly.

I used my Cricut with SCAL program. The cut file for this card can be found on the Crafter's Edge Message Board. I did not create this cut file it is one of the very talented designers there. I have to tell you too this card is navy blue with mirror gold.




Then I made this one for my God-Son who I also love dearly. He is a bit younger so I did the Santa theme for him. This has been created on my Cricut using the new Noel Christmas Cartridge.




The two cards for my God-Children are tri-fold cards to hold money.

Christmas Is Winding Down

As I purchased my last few gifts yesterday I remembered the fun things that I used to do for my kids (now ages 27 and 13.)

We would make up a batch of Magic Reindeer Food and just put it in a simple plastic bad and go out on Christmas Eve and sprinkle it on the lawn. The kids would forget about it until after the gifts were open and by the time they went out to check the birds would have ate all of the oats and seeds.



And then Joe and I would always read the Nativity story to them. When they were small a story book form but as they grew we now read it from the Bible. I still look forward to doing that as a family followed by midnight Mass.



After the kids were tucked into bed Joe and I would busy ourselves with putting bows on all of the wrapped gifts and putting them under the tree. We would then get his boots and make Santa's foot prints from the front door (no fireplace) to the tree and then to where they sat the treat for Santa. The next morning I would always grumble about the mess that Santa would leave for me and clean up the "Magic North Pole Snow." Each year Breanna would save a little box of the snow and take it to school for show and tell - she never took one of her toys like the other children - she wanted to share the tradition although she didn't know about the ma and pa Santa behind the snow.



Here is a couple of projects that I did reminiscing about Christmas Past Traditions.



A fun little Reindeer Ornament to put Magic Reindeer Food in and hang on the tree until Christmas Eve. I used my Cricut to make the Cake Box and then used various QuicKut Dies, Boss Kut Dies, and Punches to transform the box into Rudolph.






I know the kids, even though they are grown and don't believe any longer, will still get a kick out of the Tradition behind this little guy.

Then I made this angel out of cardstock. I have to be honest, THIS IS NOT MY IDEA, you can find the directions for this little girl on MarthaStewart.com. They made these out of a 6" paper plates and used hand punches to decorate them. I didn't have 6" paper plates so I took the pattern and cut her out of cardstock, used decorative scissors to scallop the bottom and a small hand punch to punch the holes. I just love her.

If you have the SCAL program and a Cricut you can download a cut file for this little beauty at: http://forums.surecutsalot.com/index.php?sid=9b8af66d5e32c4bf9be9df86f13b2d69 There was a wonderful person there that was wonderful enough to share their cut file.




Now over the next week I will make a few last minute Cards to put money gifts in for my God-Children, the mailman, and our Priest. I will share those in a day or two.

It is all coming together.

Christams Ideas As I Do Them

Seems like the Christmas Ideas just keep coming and I can't make them fast enough.

Today I am sharing 3 projects.

The first are simple tags made with Boss Kut Dies.

The second project is a Take-Out Box filled with candy and decorated with Boss Kut Dies

Now this last one I have posted directions for - it is very simple. And I have filled them with candy kisses so that the kids will have an added little gift on the tree!

Directions:

Materials:

Paper cutterScor-Pal

Scor-Tape

Snowflake Stamps/Versa-Craft white ink pad/embossing powder

Heat gun

4" of cord/stringNavy Blue Cardstock

1) Cut your Cardstock to 3 1/2 x 8"

2) Using Scor-Pal and short side of cardstock at the top, score at 1/2" and 3"

3) Turn Paper 90 degrees and score at 1/2", 3", and 5 1/2".

4) Mark 1/2" from each scored (I used my scor-pal for this as well.)

5) Cut triangle off at each top corner (see diagrams) using the 1/2" marks and scored corner as your guide.

6) On the left cut a triangle using the 1/2" marks and scores (see diagrams.)

7) On right side cut a diagonal cut to the first score and straight down the score mark (see diagrams)

8) Score the piece diagonally across first square, diagonally the opposite way across the second square, and diagonally the opposite way across the last square (see diagrams.)

9) Use stamps/ink/embossing powder to add decorations and raised stamping to the piece. Avoid embossing on the glue tabs. (See diagram.)

10) Fold on score lines

11) Use scor-tape on each of the glue tabs and peel of backing.

12) Form a loop with cord/string and knot the end. Place the knot side in next to glue tab #1. Adhere tab 1 to the inside forming the side of the triangle.

13) If you wish fill with candy at this point and adhere the other 3 glue tabs to the inside of the box.

And here are the diagrams:

More Christmas Ideas

Santa Claus is coming to town! So I made a Santa M&M Shelf Sitter.

Then in order to give money gifts this year I made a money holder Ornament: Both sides are decorated the same but one side has been made to be a pocket to hold the money.

Front Side:

Back Side:

And then Gift Card Holders for those who I want to give a gift but but I don't know what to buy them but don't want to give them cash.

And finally some more variations on the tic tac boxes for stocking stuffers.

More Christmas items next week.