Happy Thanksgiving

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

50th Birthday Party Gifts

This weekend I was invited to a friend's 50th birthday party. For a gift I made some etched glass plates. The plates are from Wal-Mart and etching cream is from Michaels.

My Cricut machine cut out the letters, and used contact shelf lining paper as the sticky paper (not sure what to call it- kinda like the vinyl stuff). I have done this before and works out very well and is less expensive!

They were a big hit at the party!

Made some teacher appreciation gifts using the same method. Check them out!

Thanks for looking.

Envelopes for a Picture Card

I love making my own envelopes for everything! They are so festive and I personally think they make the mailman smile when he sees them!! :-) Here is a link to some of my other envys I have made for everyday stuff or special occasions. These are made with a template from QVC. However, envelopes for Christmas picture cards are a different size and need some tweeking.

Each year I buy half price Christmas paper after the holiday at Michaels so I'm ready for the following year. I order my cards from Costco, which are 6 x 7.5 inch picture cards.
First I start with a piece of 12 x 12 card stock (or wrapping paper, or whatever you want).

My first step is to cut a piece of cardboard (I used an old cereal box) 6.25 x 7.75 inches - it is a quarter of an inch larger than the card on each side. Place the template in the middle of the 12 x 12 card stock that has been turned sideways.

Next fold in the sides of the card stock. Be sure to hold the cardboard tightly so it doesn't move when folding.

Next fold in the top and bottom of the paper.

Snip the corner of the flap that will fold up and add some glue.

Now it is all set for your card.

Here are a couple of my other envys for my friends and family this year.

To add addresses I print them out on the Avery address labels. They show up nicely on the paper and much easier to keep track of them each year. I've never had a problem with the post office delivering the cards. They take one stamp and haven't had any returned to me requiring more postage - hope that holds true for this year!!

Thanks for looking.

Quote for the Day

"Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character."

-- Heraclitus

Awesome Winter Card

I love checking out YouTube for card making ideas. Found another one to share with my fellow crafters. This one is from starofmay, she always has excellent ideas.




Check this one out, hope it sparks your creativity!

Thanks for looking.

Valentine's Day Card

This is a very early Valentine's Day card. I was involved in a swap on SplitCoast Stampers and finished up a little earlier than expected.
I love pink and brown together so decided to make the card with those colors rather than the traditional red and white.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Cuttlebug Folder Cards

I love this easy layout!!! It is so versitile and easy to create. This is just a couple of sayings that I've made to send to friends.

I love the Cuttlebug folders, they really spruce up everything.

Thanks for looking.

Happy Veteran's Day

Today is the day to remember and thank all those who served our country. My Dad, father in law, brother in law and nephew all served our country. I'm very proud to remember my Dad who served in the Navy on an aircraft carrier. My father in law was a very proud Marine. And, my brother in law served in the Army reserve. Finally, my nephew is in the Marines now. He will be going to Afganistan next year and will be in my prayers every day.

Thanks to all the brave men and women who give their time to keep our country strong and safe. Home of the free thanks to our BRAVE.

It Smells Like the Holidays

During the fall I like to make some "smelly" pine cones! I think they look nice in a bowl or basket on the table and to top it off they smell great.

Thanks to my next door neighbor I can pick up pine cones at no charge! After picking up the pine cones from our neighbor's front yard, I use an old and very small slow cooker to melt some wax, and/or old candles. Also add some extra fragrance (bought it at Michaels in the candle making section) these are pumpkin spice. They are red because the wax was from an old red candle whose wick seemed to have disappeared!

I like the wax a little built up on the cones, so they have to be dipped 3 or 4 times in the hot wax. After the first dip in the hot tub, I lower the slow cooker temp so the wax doesn't just melt away. The lower temp also makes the coating seem thicker too. To add extra fragrance just add a couple drops of liquid fragrance to the waxed pine cones. Or, just put some extra essence to a tissue and place at the bottom of your basket.

After the holidays or when they don't seem to be as fragrant, they can be used as a fire starter in the fireplace.

Thanks for looking. Have a great holiday season.

Quote for the Day

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.
~~ Unknown

Act of Kindness Card

This was a card that I played around with. I like everything except for the TINY jewels at the center of the flowers. I think they need to be bigger.

Also, another idea would be to make a book mark out of the saying. The layout would have to go the other direction so the book mark would fit in a pocket on the front of the card.

Thanks for looking.

Birthday Card

Happy Birthday !! I wanted to use up some pieces of ribbon that were laying around my craft room. This idea hit me, but didn't turn out exactly like the one in my head!
Definitely used up a bunch of scraps, but it is missing something..... not sure what it is.

Maybe this will give someone an idea to make a better card. Any suggestions would be appreicated.
Have a great day.

Quote for the Day

For any Harry Potter fans out there....

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, just as much to stand up to our friends."
~~ Dumbledore

Coffee Card

I love pink and brown together!! Also love a steaming cup of coffee, so it just seemed natural that the two would go together. I made this card ... hhmmmm maybe for a swap, maybe for myself, maybe for a friend - can't really remember. It has an interesting fold and card front.

First the brown part open up to reviel the pretty pink "card part".

Finally the pink part opens to show the blank interior ready for any personal thoughts. Added some stamped coffee beans for cuteness!

Thanks for looking.

Have a great day.

Thanksgiving will be here soon...

I know Halloween was yesterday, but I need to start thinking about Thanksgiving NOW!!


"How big should the turkey be?
Should I make 2 turkeys to have lots of left overs?
Who will make the mashed potatoes?
What kind of veggies will the kids eat?
Where will all the guests sleep?
What am I thankful for?"

Of course I need to keep my kids busy while I'm fretting over all these things. I found a cute site that has downloadable pages for kids. It looks interesting if you need something to keep kids busy. This is just one less thing to worry about!

Have a great day.