Happy 101st Birthday Aunt Ethel!

Hello Friends! It was a busy weekend but we had a family milestone reached again! My Great Aunt had her 101st birthday! We are all amazed and thrilled that she gets around as she does and still knows most of us. She still works her word find puzzles everyday, too!

It was a wonderful celebration with family and friends! We all enjoyed the cake and ice cream! But no one as much as Aunt Ethel! The picture shows her in all her Christmas finery right down to the birthday crown!

If you think about all the changes she has seen in her years, it is mind boggling. She saw cars driven for the first time, the first telephones, the beginning of radio and television just to mention a few. It was a hoot to watch when she used a microwave oven the first time! She taught elementary school for almost forty years so you can imagine the changes she saw as the curriculum changed! Wow! We are so proud of her and so fortunate to have shared her stories and tales!

Thanks for letting me share a little about this very special lady. My hope now is that the "gene pool" trickles down a few generations!! I am now living in the house she was born in and I feel the presence of each of them here every day! It is wonderful to be one of seven generations to share the experience!

I hope each of you has a blessed Christmas and gets a chance to be with family and friends this holiday!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

A Merry Little Christmas

Hello Friends! Have you missed me? I have certainly missed all of you! It has been a hectic time with holiday festivities and filling craft orders! Hopefully, I am all caught up now and can get back to doing what I love... sharing my craft fun with you!

I have a card to share today that took on a life of its own. I was using some holly leaves on a package and then several fell into a circle shape on my desk. The next thing I knew I had a wreath of holly leaves and the idea for this card. The leaves were punched with a MS holly punch from textured cardstock, I formed a wreath "base" by punching a 1 1/4" circle and then punching a 2" circle around the smaller one. I glued a series of leaves to the base. I then glued another series over and between the first ones. The berries are 1/8" circles punched and the bow is a foam sticker. I added crystal Deco writer to the leaves for a little extra dimension and texture. I used dimensionals to attach the wreath to the card base.

The card base is white stock with a red panel adhered to the inside right. I used a MS border punch on the outside edge. I also added the Deco glitter paint along the edge. The sentiment is stamped on white stock, cut with deco scissors and matted to a red rectangle with dimensionals.

I am really pleased with the look of this card! And I was thrilled to be able to use some of my many craft punches. Too often they sit by the wayside, but a crafter MUST have her tools, right?!?!? I knew you'd agree!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! It is always so nice to hear from each of you! I hope to be a lot more faithful to my blog in the future! It has been a challenging time but one of great joy for me as we approach this blessed holiday. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and pray that you will each find your own peace this wonderful time of year!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Post It Pads w/ Mini Pens

Greetings everyone! We are having a mixed bag with weather these days! First rain, then snow and ice, a lot of rain, and now gale force winds! Whew! It's enough to make you go hmmmmm! You can hear tree branches snapping in this wind but so far no visible trees down and we still have power. Woohoo!

I have some post it pad holders to share with you today . I love these as they have a place for the pen attached. This is another idea that came from Dawn and you can see her video here.

I made several of these with different papers and stock. The two pictured are examples of a holiday cover and an all occasion cover. I love the versatility of the all occasion card stock. With the theme family and friends, it can be used in so many ways. Rather than cover up the wording on this cover, I added brads to the prominent O's for a little extra accent. The holiday cover has words for a winter wonderland. Since snow was the prominent word on this one, I added a snowflake. These pads are easy to make and fun to give. You just have to be sure to measure the thickness of your pads for each one, as different suppliers have more or less paper in them. The thicker ones may require you to adjust the cover folds a little so the front lays flat. The mini pens I got from Staples. I really found a bargain there as they were on clearance on line. And with a $50 order, Staples delivers for free, usually the next day. Can't beat that!!

Be sure to give these s try! Teachers, including Sunday School teachers, are always needing post its! My Mom loves these for her shopping lists! So many ways you can use them and they fit nicely in a purse or organizer! They can be refilled, too, by removing the last page of paper on the new pad and pressing it into place! That's always a plus!

I am off to fill holiday orders! The teacher survival kits have been a biggy this year as have the jumbo clip bookmarks! We also have the Christmas party for the Seniors group at church this Saturday so lots to do! And I still have boxes to ship to my daughter and her family in Germany! Oh my! I better get at it!

Hope you all have a wonderful day and you get a chance to drop by again soon! I've got some hot chocolate and some cranberry oatmeal cookies just waiting!!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Jumbo Paperclip Bookmark

Hello! Welcome to Bountiful Blessings!

Just a simple little goodie to share today! I made several of these jumbo paperclips for a craft fair and to give out to friends.

I found the clips at Walmart in the office supply section. I punched two 2" scallop circles from white card stock. On one, I added a 3D snowflake sticker (I also found at Walmart in craft section). You could use any image or sentiment here. I joined the circles over the "open" end of the clip with glue dots. You can embellish further with ribbon but I chose to keep it simple. Glitter is beautiful but tends to make a mess for the recipient. Jewel brads and buttons are also very pretty. I packaged them in cello envelopes and added a printed topper which I stamped with snowflakes.

Quick, easy and beautiful! Gotta love it!

Have a wonderful day and I look forward to your return visit!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Over the Top Award

I want to thank Monica from Giddy Greetings for this award! Monica is an awesome crafter and maintains not one, not two, but three blog sites! Be sure to stop by and visit and then leave some love!

Here are the rules I have to follow to accept this award:

Answer the following questions using single word answers. Then pass the award to 5 other people. ( I'm a Southern girl! One word answers are like asking the wind to stop blowing but I will try!)

Your cell phone? None

Your hair? Curly

Your mother? Beautiful

Your father? Heaven

Favorite food? Potato

Your dream last night? Short

Your favorite drink? Coffee

Your dream/goal? Singer

What room are you in? Office

Your hobby? Paper

Your fear? Fire

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

Where were you last night? Home

Something you aren't? Skinny

Muffins? Strawberry

Wish list item? Floors

Where did you grow up? TN

Last thing you did? This

What are you wearing? PJ's

Your TV? Huge

Your pets? Lots

Friends? Precious

Your mood? Zany

Missing someone? Dad

Vehicle? None

Something you're not wearing? Socks

Your favorite store? Kroger

Your favorite color? Green

When was the last time you laughed? Now

Last time you cried? Yesterday

Your best friend? Wonderful

One place that you go to over and over? Bathroom

Face book? Nope

Favorite place to eat? Couch

This was a lot easier than I thought it would be! Maybe I can hush after one word!!!

The five wonderful bloggers whom I have chosen to pass this on to:

Carrie
Kelly
Lynn
Gina
Cheryl

This is a fun award and I am honored to have been chosen by Monica! Thanks so much!
Have a wonderful day and hurry back! My zany mood may last an hour or a few days...who
knows?!?!?

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Front Fold Gift Card Holder

Hello blogging friends!

I have another gift card holder to share with you! This one folds under a front flap and can also be for any occasion. I went with the Christmas theme and plan to use this one for a friend. You can view a video tutorial of this holder over at Dawn's Stamping Studio.

I started with white card stock and then added the Christmas paper. The present on the front is a chipboard piece adhered with dimensionals. The inside slot, punched with a word window punch, is shown beside the front of the holder. These come together very quickly and add a very nice touch to a gift card or money gift. You could even slide movie tickets into it!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing this version and you will come back soon! Have super weekend!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Holiday Wallet

Hello and Welcome!

I wanted to dress up the usual gift card this year so I decided to go with some paper wallets for the male members of the family. The instructions for these has been around forever but Dannie Graves has an excellent video on this wallet that you can view here I started with black card stock and embossed the outer piece with the Argyle CB folder. It looks like worn leather IRL. Then I attached the inner pieces with double sided tape only on the outer edges. (Gosh, I love my ATG gun!) Sticky tape is also great for this project! I then rounded the corners of the outside piece. You can also pierce the outer piece all the way around and "connect the dots" to make really nice faux stitching. Once you have all the pieces cut out and placed in order, it is a simple wallet to put together. Just be sure to attach the OUTSIDE corners first! I made several and used warm rich colors to simulate the leather. I like this one especially because you can put in a gift card or cash (or check or MO or...oh you get the drift) or both. These are perfect for those gifts that need to be sent in the mail! I stamped the Holiday Wishes on white stock and cut out with deco scissors. I adhered it to the wallet with tape again as I wanted to keep it flat as possible for mailing. I have sold these at craft fairs and people are amazed how much like a real wallet it is.

Now that the grandkids are older and have almost EVERYTHING one could wish for, I decided a gift card or cash was in order. This project let me put in "Grandma's touch" and still make them happy! Bless their hearts!!

If you have any questions about this project or any other one on my blog, please email me. I would love to help if I can.

Have a wonderful week and stop by when you get the chance! I have several little gift items I will be sharing in the coming days. Just remember to take time for you and to be sure to reflect on the real reason for the season!

Blessings to you,
Vicki