Christmas Nail Ornament

Hello Friends! Happy Monday!

Today I would like to share with you an ornament that I have made the past few years for friends and family. It is a printed poem and nail. The poem I print in multiple copies on white card stock. It prints with its own border so I just have to cut out. The nails used are masonry nails which you can get at Home Depot. There are several sizes and I chose to go with the large ones this year. I cut two slits in the stock and slipped the nail in. I then punched two holes in the top corners and added eyelets. This size nail is fairly heavy so I wanted to be sure the paper would not tear. I used craft wire to form the hanger and added two tiny red bows. You can also just use ribbon for a hanger if you chose. I can't provide a link to the poem page I print but if you would like a copy, email me and I will try to send the poem to you and you can use your print works of choice to make multiple copies in the size you want. Be sure to enlarge the pic so you can read the whole poem. It is a beautiful reminder of what the Christmas season is really about.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week! A busy one for me as the holiday festivities are beginning and there is lots of cooking to do! Combine that with the cards still to make and you have a bit of a frenzy! And I love every minute of it! Hope you will come by often and leave a comment or suggestion. It always makes my day to hear from friends!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Thankful Days !!

Hello Everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was truly blessed as we gathered with dear friends and shared a delicious buffet feast! For those who could still move, we cleared the table and brought out the sales flyers! There were five pounds of those things in our local paper! Five pounds!! Imagine the trees we could have saved! But, being the people we are, we succumbed to the urge to shop! We made our lists and then made plans for Black Friday! We left at 4:30 AM the next morning and shopped til we dropped! Literally! We found a few bargains, but mostly just enjoyed ourselves looking and watching. There are going to be some very happy children come Christmas morning if what we saw is an indication!

I hope each of you had a fun relaxing time (once the food was served) and were able to be with ones you love for this very special holiday!

Even though we get caught up in the hooplah of the business world, we still take the time to share what we are thankful for. I am most thankful for my Savior who died for me that I may have eternal life. I am also thankful for the eyesight I have been left with. I so enjoy my crafting and cooking and seeing all those I love and hold dear. Which leads to my gratitude for each of you! You make my world such a better place with your love, support and inspiration! Each day is enriched by your thoughts, comments and suggestions! God bless you!

Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company....wait! That's a song, isn't it?!?! Sorry Mickey! Now it's time to concentrate on my favorite time of year. I love everything about the Christmas season! I love celebrating the birth of our Lord and the giving spirit we all share! I pray that each of you knows the beauty and peace of this holiday all year through!!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Myspace Graphics, Thanksgiving Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Altered Mini Composition Book

Hello and Happy Monday!

Today's project is a simple but fun way to welcome the Christmas season! It is a mini composition notebook that I altered with holiday papers. I started by measuring the front and back surfaces of the book. I have found that even the same company may not always have the same size books or pads. Each manufacturer has its own measurements. I cut the covers from holiday patterned paper and adhered it to the book with double sided tape. You could also use a liquid glue or gluestick. I like the tape because there is no drying time and it has a strong hold. I then measured a piece for the spine and adhered that as well. This was a contrasting piece cut from another pattern. I added a snowflake foam die cut to make the cover a little more festive yet keep the adornments simple so this could be carried in a purse or backpack without worrying about pulling off all the accents. I also included a mini gel pen that I purchased from Staples. Super simple but a great little gift for a friend or student and a great stocking stuffer!

Thanks for stopping in today and I hope each of you has a wonderful week and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

He's Checking His List Designing DIVAS Challenge

Greetings Everyone! Are you as glad as I am it's Friday? It's been a busy but fun week!

Today I have a card made for the Designing DIVAS Challenge. The challenge was to use a page from a book on your project. I went straight to the telephone book! Seeing the list of names made me think of Santa and his list. So, after some searching on line, I found this Santa image.
It worked perfectly for what I had in mind.

I started with a white card base and adhered the phone book page to that. Then I stamped the background with a "gifts" stamp. I layered the red card stock and then the black. The Santa was cut out three times and stacked with dimensionals for a 3D effect. I punched the tag and inked the edges with Real Red. The sentiment I printed. The Ho Ho Ho was stamped with another stamp. I glittered Santa's hat trim, beard and other trims with crystal glitter. I also glittered the outer edges of the card. It was close work, but I think I got all the DIVAS names on the list. If I missed someone. I apologize. I just couldn't write any smaller!!

Hope you have enjoyed this fun card. It brings out all the happy memories when I see Santa. I'm just hoping I don't get coal this year!!

Have a great weekend everyone and come back soon!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Altered Desk Set

Hello and Welcome!

With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to get ahead with some gift sets. This desk set includes a Jr. Legal Pad, Bookclip, Binderclip, and Matching Pen.

I used burgundy card stock for the base of the pad cover and layered patterned paper. I added the ribbon before I adhered the paper. I used the scallop punches for the bookclip and a jumbo paper clip. I adhered the patterned paper to the binder clip and used the RSVP pen so I could add matching paper to the barrel.

I hope to make several of these sets as gifts. They are fairly simple and make a nice gift for friends and coworkers. I think my sister-in-law has her eye on this one!

Hope you are all having a good week and not getting too busy to enjoy the season!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Happy Brrrr..thday!! Designing DIVAS Challenge

Hello Friends! Aaaah! It's so good to be back home again! No, I haven't left my house, but I did leave my blog for a while. Now, I feel like I have returned from a business trip! LOL!

Today I am playing catch up with some challenges and this is one we were asked to do in our Designing DIVAS Blog Group. We were to make a birthday card with a winter theme. I couldn't think of anything that says winter more than snowflakes!

I started with some blue cardstock for the base. I then layered it with white and cut the edges with deco scissors ( I am waiting for my scallop border punch to arrive!! ) Next is the patterned paper layer. I used my MS doily lace border punch for this one. The center snowflake is actually a 3D sticker I found at Walmart! I am not one to use stickers very much but these are awesome! Very well crafted! I continued the border theme on the inside of the card and used a sentiment stamp for the message.

It feels so good to be playing with paper and creating again!! Now if I can just get caught up on the challenges I have missed, I'll be a real "happy camper"! No wait a minute... Make that a real "Happy Crafter"!!

Thanks for your visit today and I hope you will come back again soon. I'll keep the coffee hot and the light on for you! Oh, if you go by a bakery blog on your way here, pick up a couple of treats, will you?!?!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Thank You Sue!

I have been honored by Sue Daly with this blog award! Thank you so much Sue! You can view her blog here. This award was especially humbling since my blog has suffered some neglect the last couple of weeks! I am now even more inspired and encouraged to get back to the fun I have with my blog and my blog friends!

I am to pass this award along to 15 newly discovered bloggers. I'm afraid I can't make that many but I do have several I would like to share this award with.

1. Karen - http://felinecreative.blogspot.com
2. Lynn - http://creativecraftsbylynn.blogspot.com
3. Marilyn - http://onestampingfool.blogspot.com
4. Nancy - http://creationsbyNancyJ.blogspot.com
5. lcamacho123 - http://sendajoyfulcard.blogspot.com/

These ladies have started a blog group for new bloggers and I am so happy for them!

Thanks to everyone for being such great friends and making this blog experience such fun and so rewarding! And a big thank you, too, goes to Darlene!! You rock, Lady!!

Blessings to you,
Vicki

Teacher Survival Kit

Hello Everyone! Well, I am living proof there is life after a craft show! You plan, prepare and plan some more and in a day, it's all done! Whew! It's definitely a learning experience!

The show I participated in was not a huge success for me in sales but I did enjoy the creative process. And, now I have plenty of gifts for friends! LOL!

One of the items I sold is this Teacher Survival Kit. A fun little goodie for those who work so hard. I made sure to include lots of chocolate for those energy spurts needed and to soothe those frazzled nerves!

This is a pillow box door hanger that I made from patterned card stock. Since the CS was white on one side, I folded over the hanger back to keep the pattern showing. I printed the contents of the kit on the computer and adhered that piece to the back of the box. The snowflake was cut with Nesties, glittered and adhered with double sided tape. I had some issues with the contents being too much for the box and putting excess pressure on the box seam so next time I do these I will shorten the list.

I will have other items to show in the days ahead. Like I said before, this was a learning experience and I have a much better idea now of what to include in any future shows.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I hope to get some rest and enjoy some non-assembly line crafting! It will be nice to relax and just go clean and simple for a while!

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon. I have missed my blog and my blogging friends while I was in "show mode". Now it's back to my normal craziness!

Blessings to you all,
Vicki

Holiday Notepad

Hello and Welcome! I have been busy working on projects to sell at a craft fair in a few weeks. Time is slipping away but I am having a good time crafting!

One of the items I came across this week made me want to take a break from the craft fair items and try this notepad cover. It fits a jr. legal pad.

I got the instructions for this cover here. Just scroll down to post #2. It is all made from a reblessed 2 pocket folder. Those of you who know me well, know how excited I was to find this! Since my folder was rather on the wild side, I made a few adjustments to the original instructions. I completely covered my surfaces with ice green card stock. I then made a spine cover from some Christmas holly card stock. For the front I punched three ornaments with the SU ornament punch. The red one is dotted with green glitter pen to give it some sparkle. These are attached to the cover with dimensionals. I used narrow gold ribbon for the hangers and bows. I also covered the top of the pad inside with this decorative paper. This folder opens right to left, but you also have a folder that opens left to right with these instructions. Perfect for a left-handed person!

Hope you have enjoyed your visit here today! Feel free to look around and let me know what you think. And do come by often! There's no telling what I may post next!

Blessings to you,
Vicki