Blasts fro the Past

I've been sad these past few days about my mom. She's been very forgetful lately but only recently has it gotten really bad. I think its really dawned on me that this might be the first step in the end. I know that's the wrong word choice, but I am starting to lose my mom and I don't know what other word to use right now. As much as we fought, and we did fight a lot, (we're so different) she's still my mom.

I also heard that my sister-in-law, my brother's wife, who has breast cancer, is starting to slide also.

The tough part with her is that she's angry about it all. Understandable, she's only 51, but  she's rather abrasive and pushy and she and I are very different. She's trying to keep herself feeling useful by handling things with my mom, but too much so. I need to step in because my mother is MY mother and I have to live with her final time for rest of MY life.

Oh my.

How can I say everything I need to say in so few words?

I can't.

OK, enough said for me today. 

It feels good to write this but its also bringing me down too far.
Can't have that, when she's still there with me.

So on to things that make me smile.

And hopefully you too.

Some favorite holiday art from the past.

Its fun to look back and get some inspiration. Not that I want to repeat any piece, but I see some things I did that makes me really like these pieces, and I have lots of ideas rolling around in my brain of ways to use those genera ideas to make some more new art.

Thanks for stopping by.

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.

Joy

Sweet and simple holiday cards.

Not sure card making is my forte but the college girl loves getting mail at school so I'll go with that.

This one looks better in real life than in this photo- a bit washed out and in the poor seasonal light- it has a bit of a yellowish tint. The snowy paper has a great sheen to it, which doesn't show up here at all. I left the doggy a bit unsolid black because to me it looks like some snow on his coat, just like a real dog in the falling snow would look.

Words are from a Sizzix/Tim Holtz strip die. Snowman and dog are from Cornish Heritage Farms-an old rubber set not a digital one. I added some snowy background paper and then some white sparkley Stickles to make the snow which had fallen on the ground

I could have done some more sparkley snow on the snowman, but decided sometimes its just too much. Over doing it doesn't often make it better.

So here I made this tag using the bow stamped images (Flourishes Rubber Stamps) and then the words from October Afternoon. Just attaching the tag to a bright green card is all it needs- I think-in a sweet and simple kind of way.

And lastly, this rustic style (bit masculine maybe too) wintery card where I started by using this Dee's embossing folder. I colored the embossment (is that a real word?) and then added white Stickles to make it looks like some frosty snow. I added the die cut hanging stars (Memory Box) and also the center tag die cut. The saying is from a big Memory Box holiday stamp-I stamped it all and then cut out the words. Add some outlining, some inking, and there you have it.

3 easy and simple cards.

A little early December holiday spirit.

Afterall, it is only 3 weeks until Christmas.

Man, shocks me as I write that.

Anyhow, have a great hump day.

And thanks for taking a minute to stop by my blog.

A few holiday cards

My blue series.  I made 10 cards for family just before the holiday. I wanted to show you some of these before we get  past all this holiday cheer and no one wants to looks at Christmas any more.

For this card I started with this very non-Christmasy colored paper. More like robin's egg blue than Santa red. I embossed the white snowflakes (Hero Arts background stamp). Then I die cut this star (Sizzix) which I like because it is very whimsical and fun for the holidays. I removed the middle oval and stamped a Christmas words saying in red on it just for a bit of contrast. Finally I stamped the Santa image (October Afternoon) on white paper, colored him and then trimmed him and added him to the card. Finally some Viva paint pen dots and the bow.

This next card was my last in the series of 10 and super super easy. When you need to do one more card and are feeling really sick, using pre-made pieces is the way to go.

A journal card and snowman sticker from October Afternoon, some Martha Stewart tape and then a glittery blue word that I die cut with a Sizzix die. I just love this die. I use it a lot, especially for holiday cards. (I really like the way the letters are-looks a little retro to me.)

One more to show you today.

I die cut the white (Quickutz) rectangular shap and stamped these words (Penny Black) from a Child's Christmas in Wales.  Have you read that book-by Dylan Thomas. It is a favorite.  I also die cut the wood paper background piece and used some snowflake stamps and puff white embossing powder. Finally, a bit more of that blue tape (Martha Stewart)  and 3 punched deer (Martha Stewart) on some silver shiny paper.

I will be back with more  another day.

So my head cold turned into a double ear infection and most likely they think a sinus infection too.

I feel like my head is in one of those astronaut bubbles right now.

Wiped out and miserable...

what a way to spend my week off.

Hopefully later today the antibiotics will kick in and I will be on the road to recovery.

Thanks for visiting today.

Christmas Cards

Today I have a few Christmas cards to show you. 

It is that time of year!

This first one was pretty quick and easy, a little washi tape and some Kaiser Craft stamped postal images. The trees are from Paper Smooches-stamped on white and then colored and cut out. The words are from Technique Tuesday.

This card started with this fun stamped and embossed background by Hero Arts. I added the striped paper die cut, which I painted with some Stickles to make it sparkle-but that doesn't show here-unfortunely. The poinsettia flower is from Flouishes. And I made the circle tag by die cutting the shape with a LifeStyle Crafts die  and then stamping the words (also Flourishes). Finally some Viva paint pen dots along the edge.

 

And here's another fun Santa from the same Stampworkz by Sheena set as the Scrooge and Marley door image I showed you the other day.

 I layered this one on a couple sheets of paper that I cut to match the image. Then I added the die cut glittery star and these cute felt reindeer.

I guess I need to actually write mt holiday cards and get them out in the mail-ASAP!

So yesterday they finally delayed school-late-at 5:45 just when I was about to go get dressed and leave. So then I leave at quarter to eight and get half way to work when I get a text and a simultaneous phone call saying they have canceled school-must have gotten icy at the coast, not that the roads inland were any better. And I had just gotten to a tollbooth and once past that I had to drive quite a few miles until the next exit to turn around and then drive all the way back on some awful snowy roads. 

Lordy Lordy! 

Timing just wan't working for me. What a pain.

But I did enjoy my day off. Spent some time in the studio journaling and also watched a bunch of episodes of Season 4 of True Blood on DVD with Katie. I really enjoyed having her home and spending the day with her. And I decided it was a good day not to be too productive and be lazy instead.

Got to love that.

OK, enough of me babbling on.

Thanks for visiting.

No Bah Humbugging

This card highlights one of the stamps from a really fun holiday set.

This is the set-Stampworkx by Sheena Douglas. I picked it up at Frantic Stamper; here's the link

http://www.franticstamper.com/Stampworkz-Sheena-Stamps-_c_2916.html

I started by embossing this fun diagonal stripe onto white card stock. The stamp for this was a Backgrounder from the former Cornish Heritage Farms. Not sure if the new Cornish Heritage Farms has yet made this stamp.

I layered some paper on this, added the stamped and colored doorway, and then added a glittering die cut star. Love these star-it is a Sizzix die. Added some red Viva paint-pen berries on the wreath, and punched out the circle-gave it some red and sparklely spray ink, and then stamped the words.

No Bah Humbugging here though. Tonight is my department Christmas party at my co-worker's Deb's house, should be a blast. I need to make a pot of chili, since it is a pot luck affair, and I want to bake some cookies. Love the fact that other than the party tonight I have a very open weekend. Yahoo!!!

Really sad about that school shooting yesterday though. Breaks my heart. Those poor families....and those poor children....

Makes me too sad at this festive time of year.

My prayers go out to everyone touched by that tragedy.

Went to see the Hobbit last night. Was an unplanned activity but was a good film. Hate waiting for the ending though.

And look what I saw driving down the road yesterday?

The LL Bean boot car.

What a hoot!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Candle Light All Day

I don't often make a card with just die cuts, but this one came out pretty ok if you ask me. You can't see it here very well but the background behind the candles is this sparklely silver-blue paper I picked up at Michaels.  And the dimensional candles are this fun die-

 I sprayed the bases of the candles with 1 coat of yellow and then did the drippy wax part with yellow, orange and silver to give that real melted waxy look. The flames are silver Stickles.

I die cut the red card stock and stamped the words in gold since it was too plain without them (Paper Smooches).

And I love the little embossed and inked bow of greenery from this Sizzix set.

Don't know about you but I use a lot of candles at home this time of year-

I especially love this battery operated remote control ones I put up on my mantle-

it is SOOOOOO dark all the time it seems.

Just another week or so and we'll start to go back the other way-

but why does it seem to take so long to get back to days when it is light to 5:30 or 6 when it seems to take no time at all to get to these super short days?

Guess the answer to that is all on your perspective.

Happy Thursday!

Stop back soon. 

Cheers

Here's a cheery card for the holiday or winter...I love that it gets to be a dual purpose dual themed card. 

Boy that's a lot of words.

Stamps are from Rogue Redhead. I love the green and pink too.

Fun, don't you think?

I stars along the top are  a Martha Stewart border punch.

And here's another cheery card also using Rogue Redhead stamps. It is a lot of fun, cheery and bright. And I love the non-traditional winter colors. I also love the little silver berries (Viva paint pen).

We're in the warmer weather here this week-let me clarify-not warm, but 40s is warm for December. But they are saying accumulating snow Sunday and Monday coming up.

A white Christmas?

Or just shoveling  and yukky driving?

Hmmmm.

Let's see when it gets here.

Happy Hump Day!

Thanks for stopping by.