Pre-Holiday Play Day

The holidays are here- 

well kind of- 

but for me they are since this day I am on vacation!!!

Got to love vacation Mondays!!!

Really feels like vacation today when I didn't need to get up for work.

(Actually hit me last night when I wasn't thinking about how I had to go to work in the morning- really makes a Sunday night much more relaxing.)

So today's post I want to show you 

a couple of cards I made for the nieces and nephew.

Also some holiday kitchen projects.

Yummy!!!!

This card photographed poorly in our winter darkness,

but you can see the silver snowflakes I stamped on the background.

Since I was in a rush to make these

(do that every year-why is that when I know I'll need them?)

I used a lot of die cuts.

Big snowflake is from a Sizzix set-

, 

skiis are from a Marriane die set and the bow is from Memory Box.

Saying is from a Flourishes' set called Snow Day.

Just in case you were wondering.

Now that I look back at these cards I say, why didn't I put the skis together  and use the bow in a slightly different manner? Why didn't I put the Merry Christmas in the next card in a slightly different  spot? Oh well, they are what they are. And they're not too bad, considering I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about the final product while putting these together.

Cards are not my strong suit, as I've told you before.

Here's another ski themed card (my niece and nephew are HUGE skiers-my nephew is even on his college ski team). This time I used the same Marianne ski die, a Memory bird die, snowflake #2 by Sizzix (my latest go to snowflake I must say.)

and the Merry Christmas words die by Dee's Distinctive Dies. I embossed it in black so it really stands out.

Anyhow...

So yesterday while my husband wrapped my gifts I got banished to the studio-such a tough thing I must say.

Finished up my hanging snowflakes.

Got caught up on my holiday journal.

Then when I was finally allowed back downstairs,

Katie decided to do some decorating.

She isn't into cooking or baking at all, but decided to make a tree cake.

Love the lighting in this photo.

Her tree came out great for a first time decorator too.

I used the leftover frosting to finish off my gingerbread house-which I put together last Sunday and it needed some decorating.

What do you think?

I decorated this with assorted candies...quite pleased with the cuteness of the results.

I just needs a little plastic reindeer.

And I made some homemade bread- buckwheat, dried cherry and hazelnuts from this cookbook

which I picked up as a present for myself from an Amazon Daily deal for like $10.

There's some great recipes in this book, at least the look and sound good.

This is the first one I actually tried.

I must say I had a great day. Relaxing, creative, holiday-ish.

Perfect for a dark, wet and then icey Sunday in New Hampshire.

And now today-

I need to make a lasagne for tomorrow when we go visit my family.

I've got to wrap the hubby's presents. 

I have an appointment to get my haircut.

Busy but not too too busy of a day.

Oh the holiday chores.

Fa-la-la-la-la!

Thanks for stopping by.