Peace, Joy, and Christmas Heels!

It probably seems a bit strange to be sharing a Christmas card this late in the day on New Year's Eve, but when this post goes live, it will actually be New Year's DAY in some parts of the world! oh the glories of technology! :)

and you see, I am posting this as a brand new member of the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra Design Team! :) I am so excited to be a part of this team, not the least because it's going to help me get my cards done in time this year! grins! :)

For the past few years, I made a few Christmas cards each month beginning in January and had a nice stash by December. 2015 was a big flop for my holiday card making. I was so far behind and didn't come close to having enough. no way am I going to let that happen again! I'm going to be ready with my jingle bells on come Christmas 2016! who's with me?!  the great thing is that there are several challenge blogs out in bloggyland, (such as Crafty Hazelnut's!), so you can win prizes as you build your stash! doesn't get much better than that folks!

I have used the fun Christmas Heels image by Bugaboo and a sentiment by Create with TLC for my card. papers are from the Basic Grey Evergreen collection, buttons & holly sprig are vintage, and glittered rose is from Michael's. little plaid ribbon snippet is from Really Reasonable Ribbon. the holly sprigs on the shoes are covered in distress stickles and accented with my spica clear glitter gel pen. I also used distress stickles around the edges of the main image, which is matted by a doily. the sentiment piece was sprayed with kraft glimmer mist.

thanks so much for stopping by! may your 2016 overflow with blessings! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
TTCRD - anything goes
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Pile it On - Christmas/Winter
A Snowflake's Promise - anything goes with winter or Christmas theme
Coloring in Scrapland - Christmas
Dream Valley - Christmas
Crimbo Crackers - anything Christmas goes (hi, Ruth!!!)

Garage Pallet Grunge Art

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Well life is slowly but surely get back to normal as we recover from all of the craziness that led up to the holidays....

Today I want to share with you a fun gift I made for my husband. he loves wooden pallets and the neat things people make with them. one of  his favorite things to do is look at all of the clever ideas on Pinterest for projects made with reclaimed pallets.

when I saw that one of my favorite online craft stores was carrying miniature pallets, I immediately ordered several so that I could make a Christmas gift for my hubby! when we would visit the auto parts store, I would find little odds & ends in the parking lot and put them in my pocket. the same when we would go to the car wash. since I am always picking up little doo dads and putting them in my pocket, no one in my family ever questioned what I was doing! guess the pack rat tendencies finally paid off! :)

While most people don't tend to think of ribbons and flowers as masculine, plaids, like the blue/gold I used here, and burlap string are perfect for any project you make for a guy. neutral flowers also go well. most guys like flowers as long as you don't go overboard. a few can add a nice touch.

the pallets were painted with numerous coats of paint and then sanded. I used a stamp by Prima and their chalk ink along one edge of the large pallet. I filled in the pallets with Prima products along with the hardware goodies I found. flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, Michaels, and Petaloo.

I challenge you to make a masculine project (or several!) in the upcoming year. I promise we'll have some challenge themes over on the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog that will work well. grab some plaid ribbon and get busy! especially while that amazing sale is going on! go check it out! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Deep Ocean - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - anything goes
Not Just Cards - anything goes
L'il Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
The Stamping Boutique - anything goes

Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Good Morning, everyone! so sorry I am late posting this recipe. it's been crazy around here, as I am sure it is for many of you as we get ready for Christmas Day. :)

Hot Cocoa Mix

11 cups dry instant milk powder
2 cups powdered non dairy creamer (or 1-15 oz. container) flavors are fun to try!
2  1/2 cups powdered confectioners sugar
2-16 oz. containers instant chocolate drink mix (I used Nestle Quick)
2 tsp. cinnamon

mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. store in an airtight container or glass jars for gift giving.

to use, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of  mix to 1 cup of boiling water. stir well.

if you would like to make a coffee/mocha version, add 1 to 2 cups of instant coffee to the above mix. I put mine through the coffee grinder to make it a bit finer.

when gift giving, I include, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and mints for fun add ins. :)

Enjoy!

Merry & Bright

Coffee of the Day - Butterscotch

Happy Saturday to all of you!

It's the last weekend before Christmas.... are you ready? almost? not quite? not even close?
when hubby and I first met back in college, he notoriously saved ALL of his Christmas shopping for Christmas Eve. it was a tradition for the kids in his family. drove me absolute bonkers, but I do confess to the rush of trying to find the perfect gift in what was left in the stores before they closed.... thank goodness we are waaaaaaaaaay past those days now. ;)

 

 I needed a special card to send out to my MIL with her gifts, so of course I turned to Paper Temptress card stocks to get me started. my card base is Desert Storm Kraft (as most of my cards are...). She has a special fondness for cats, so this adorable image from Mo's Digital Pencil was perfect for her! :)  I added some stickles to their Santa hats.

decorative papers from the Basic Grey Aspen Frost collection, vintage buttons, and a doily sprayed with glimmer mist were added. Tim Holtz holiday script dies were used to cut words from olive Basis cs. I so love this color! ribbon scraps were stapled to the upper right corner and then jingle bells were tied to a bow made from 1/8" red satin ribbon with white polka dots. little rose is by Wild Orchid Crafts.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! hugs to you all! :)
Jennifer

p.s. some of you have asked for my hot cocoa mix recipe. I'll post it later this weekend.

Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge - anything Christmas goes
Di's Digi Designs - anything Christmas
Mo's Digital Ch - traditional or non-traditional Christmas with an image by Mo (guess it's more traditional)
Little Claire's - special Christmas card (for MIL)
Sweet Stampin' - Merry Christmas
QKR - Christmas
Cardz 4 Galz - Christmas
Crafty Ribbons - favorite thing at Christmas: singing Christmas carols and being with the ones I love :)
Little Miss Muffet - holiday cheer
MAWTT - to a special person at Christmas
Creative Moments - anything goes/traditional Christmas
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed Ch - die crazy (Tim Holtz and Spellbinders dies)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes

Another Hot Cocoa Gift Set

1 of 5 Designer Picks for Holiday Coffee Lover's Blog Hop 

Coffee of the Day - Blueberry Cobbler

This year, thanks to Really Reasonable Ribbon, I made many of my Christmas gifts. Today I'm sharing a Hot Cocoa set we have given to a very special family. Please forgive me that I didn't get photos of the individual bottles, as they were also decorated. I was in a hurry to get the photos taken, since this gift was immediately being passed along. :)

I started with a Starbucks Frappucino drink pack that was spray pained white. Authentique Tidings papers and embellishments were added to decorate, and of course pretty ribbons from the RRR store! :)

the Frappucino bottles hold marshmallows, chocolate chips, and mints - everything you need to take your hot cocoa from yum to YUMMERS! :)

ribbons, flowers, and paper also decorate the large canister that holds the hot cocoa mix itself.

products used:
3/8" Plaid Christmas red/green ribbon
Delicate Stitched Satin Forest Green
1 1/2" Red Gingham Ribbon
Red Burlap String
Catherine White Crochet Lace
Shimmer Satin Red Ribbon
WOC Gardenias
WOC Open Roses Red

thank you so much for stopping by today! it means a lot to me! :)

Challenges:
Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Holly Jolly Christmas Ch - anything Christmas goes
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Linky Party

A Holiday Mocha Hot Cocoa Gift Set

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

I want to share with you one of the Hot Cocoa gift sets I've made. The one I'm showing you today is actually a coffee flavored hot cocoa, so more of a mocha theme. These are so much fun to make, and I think the people who receive them are happy. :)

I start with a drink holder of some kind. this one was already a lovely kraft paper, so all I did was ink the edges with white craft ink. the bottle are the large single Frappucino bottles you can find in any convenience store. (I happen to have been on a S'mores kick of late! so yum!)  the bottles were run through the industrial dishwasher out at Camp to be sure they were properly cleaned and disinfected before filling.

paper & sentiment sticker are from the Authentique Christmastime collection. flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts, and buttons are from my stash. ribbons are a mix of stash and Really Reasonable Ribbons.

I can't believe I didn't get a photo of one of the bottles out of the container, as they are also decorated. I also realized as I was taking the pix, that I hadn't printed out the directions for making the hot cocoa. so I added a tag with the instructions later.  sorry my head has been so wonky. I've been having so many seizures for the past month, it's hard to keep things straight. :/

anyhow, I so appreciate you stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with another of these. :)

Challenges:
Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Crafty Boots - Christmas
A Snowflake's Promise - anything goes Christmas/winter
TTCRD - anything goes
Glory of Christmas - anything Christmas goes
Pile it On - anything Christmas/winter
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Linky Party

Merry Christmas with Dies and Paper Temptress

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

Are you as behind on making your Christmas cards as I am? Paper Temptress makes it easy to use the dies in your stash for quick to make Christmas cards.

thank goodness it's easy to pull out a few dies, some great card stock from the PT store, a handfull of embellies, and complete a card in less time than you can finish singing all the verses from "The 12 Days of Christmas"!

for my card I used Red Basis card stock for the base and olive Basis for the trees.  the 'Merry Christmas' was cut twice with Cryogen White Iridescent. the 2 pieces were then glued together for extra thickness. 1/4" red grosgrain ribbon was tied into a bow around the bottom of the card.

paper is from the Basic Grey Evergreen collection, flowers and berry sprays are by Wild Orchid Crafts, wooden veneer snowflakes are from Studio Calico, and buttons are from my vintage stash. the beautiful dies are by Sue Wilson and Creative Expressions. I was blessed to win a wonderful selection of these dies a bit ago. :)

and I simply must do a quick shout out to our youngest son, Ryan. hubby and I did a quickie trip to Indiana on Sunday to surprise Ry at his church. it was his first time to preach, and we knew that we couldn't miss it.  a few tears, of course, but most importantly, lots and lots of laughter and JOY! God truly used this amazing young man to spread His message! I am so very proud! :)

thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Challenges:
Eclectic Ellapu - use more than 1 die
Robyn's Fetish - add a Christmas die cut
That Craft Place - Christmas
Allsorts - golden days (doily)
Creatalicious - something old (flair, buttons, doily, wood veneer snowflakes), something new (dies)
Southern Ridge Trading Co - Christmas words
Through the Purple Haze - Christmas
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Linky Party

Snow Much Fun Album for the RRR Blog Hop

Winner at Paradise of Stamps
Runner Up Winner at World Wide Open Design Team Challenges

Coffee of the Day - Blueberry Coffee Cake

Welcome to my stop on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop! :) You should have come here from the gorgeous blog of GINNY! man oh man, can that lady craft! I know you were inspired by what she showed you. :)

if at any time you lose your way along the hop, just head over to the RRR blog, and you will find the complete list there. :)

we are all showcasing projects made with this month's beautiful collection of ribbons and trims in the monthly club kit. every kit is amazing, but I really really REALLY like this one! I think I have ordered more of every one of these at least a few times already!

I've been super busy making many of my Christmas gifts this year. today's project is no exception. I have created an album for a special friend that can be filled with fun, outdoor photos.

as you can see, lots of ribbons were used here to help add some texture and interest, as well as just look pretty! :) flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, Petaloo, and Prima.

paper and tags are from the Simple Stories Snow Fun collection.

buttons are from my vintage stash.

close up of the hot cocoa page. :)

stamps are all from Kraftin' Kimmie.

 lots of stickles used on the images. plenty of re-purposed items in the album, too. :)

glimmer mist and Tim Holtz distress stains added to the wooden album cover and back.

Your next stop on the hop will be AMBER's oh so wonderful blog! be sure to leave her a comment letting her know how much you are inspired by her fabby project!

thanks for stopping by! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed. - anything goes
Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop - hot cocoa theme for the one page
613 Avenue Create - anything goes with create your own challenge twist (1: image, sentiment, patterned paper; 2: die cut; 3: stickles, glimmer mist; 4: pearls, bling, buttons, flowers; 5: ribbon, lace)
Crafty Calendar - let it snow
Brown Sugar - buttons
Pile it On - anything Christmas or winter
QKR - snow scene
One Crazy Stamper - Christmas/winter with no digi
Paradise of Stamps - snow
World Wide Open DT Ch - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Double Click Skittles - use a snowman
Little Red Wagon - snow much fun

Happy Coffee Elf and the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

Not only is it Friday (which deserves it's own shout out!), but today is the start of the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop! wooo hoooo and a big Fa La La La La! :)

While I won't have as many projects to share for the hop as I have in the past, I will have several, so I do hope you'll stop back by a few times during the week! you know I love my coffee! so grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and I'll share my project for today.....

my card starts with several items re-purposed from a recent trip to Starbucks. I took a bag that they give you when you buy one of their delicious treats (yes, I bought one. okay, maybe MORE than one, but I did share with my sons, and it was oh, so YUM!) I cut it apart to use as the bg. and then sprayed it with white Mr. Huey's mist. the little sticks you use to keep the steam/heat from escaping also found its way onto the card.

the adorable happy coffee elf comes from Simply Betty stamps. do you ever wish for a cup that size? I have one that comes close that hubby had specially made for me last Christmas. ;) buttons are from my vintage stash, poinsettia comes from Hobby Lobby, I think, tickets are another stash item, and wonderful ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbons. little bell is from Live and Love Crafts. touches with a wink of stella glitter pen and stickles were added.

thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a most amazing weekend! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Ch Extra - anything Christmas goes
Choux Choux Paper Art - Visions of Sugar Plums Christmas/winter projects linky party
Cards 4 Galz - Cute Christmas
CRAFT - Christmas
Star Stampz - Christmas Creations
Pile it On - anything Christmas or winter
Crafty Sentiments - Christmas card
{pin}spirational - photo inspiration
Eureka - Christmas is coming
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas card
Hiding in My Craft Room - Christmas colors
Simon Says Stamp Mon - holly jolly stamping
Wags 'n Whiskers - fairies and elves

Happy Dog, Happy Life

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

I took a little break from making Christmas gifts to create this card to send to our son, Mick. his dog, Brutus, was super sick last week. thankfully Brutus is doing better now, but did require 2 emergency trips to the vet. :(  in the mean time, poor Mick was beside himself and we had many texts into the wee hours of the night....

I thought the sentiment seemed perfect, as is too often the case with pets and babies - if they aren't happy, ain't no body in the house happy! ;)

the cute puppy image is from Sandra Caldwell's Etsy shop, paper is a scrap I had left over from a project using Simple Stories Snow Fun collection, flower is by Petaloo, ribbon scrap is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and buttons are all from my vintage stash. lots of re-purposed items on here, too - belt loop from a pair of jeans, Starbucks coffee cozy that was inked, and a piece of twine from a tag.

now I'm off to spend the day crafting. hope you have a good one! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Clear it Out - anything goes: stash: buttons, ticket
TTCRD - anything goes
As You Like It - fave: masculine or feminine (masculine even though I tend to make more feminine cards. because if I'm making a masculine card that means that more than likely it is going to one of my guys and that ALWAYS makes me happy! )
Quick Quotes - non-holiday card
Not Just Cards - anything goes

Happy Hanukkah with the Really Reasonable Ribbon monthly ribbon kit!

Coffee of the Day - Blueberry Cobbler

In the midst of celebrating December holidays, we would be remiss to overlook our Jewish friends & neighbors and the beautiful celebration of Hanukkah. The colors in this month's ribbon club kit are the perfect fit to the Festival of Lights.

I used a fun menorah image from Sandra Caldwell as the focus of my card, added papers from the Simple Stories Snow Fun collection, and several pieces from the monthly ribbon kit. Wild Orchid Crafts mixed blue/aqua cherry blossoms and rosebuds add the perfect accents when combined with some vintage buttons and a paper doily. shimmerz paint accents the candle flames and words from the sentiment. the wonderful menorah die is by Spellbinders, as is the die used on the main image.

Check out the Really Reasonable Ribbon store for every holiday project need!  you're sure to find exactly what is missing to make that project perfect! :)

thanks for stopping by!  Jennifer

Challenges:
Choux Choux Paper Art - Sugar Plum linky party winter holiday project
Di's Digi Designs - winter holidays
Just Keep on Creating - anything goes
Lia Stampz - anything goes
Petal Lu - anything goes
Glitter 'n Sparkle - anything goes
L'il Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
Melonheadz -  winter holidays
Great Impressions - anything goes
Brown Sugar - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Wags 'n Whiskers - ribbons and/or pearls

Santa Called...

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Pecan

Happy Saturday to you! so how is your holiday shopping going? are you on Santa's nice or naughty list? I find myself going back and forth between the two actually! ;)

 I have a card to share with all of you today. I'm sending it to one of my best friends and know she'll get a kick out of it.

 
The card base is made from Paper Temptress Greenbrier Felt , patterned paper is from the Authentique Tidings collection, cute little Santa bear digi image is by Sandra Caldwell, sentiment is by Create with TLC, and holly flourish sprig is cut from PT olive BASIS cs. a pretty bow tied with the 3/8" red and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon wraps along the side of the card.  doily is sprayed with glimmer mist, a few vintage buttons, diamond stickles on the bear's coat sleeves and hat, and mulberry flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts & (I think) Hobby Lobby give the finishing touches.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great weekend! :)

Challenges:
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes
Animal Friends - Christmas or New Year with an animal image
Card Mania - Christmas
Crafter's Cafe - die cuts or punches (dies: Spellbinders and Cheery Lynn)
Crafting Musketeers - use a sentiment
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - anything Christmas goes
Creatalicious - Christmas
Emerald Faeries - Merry Christmas
Sparkles Christmas - die cuts for Christmas (dies: Spellbinders and Cheery Lynn)
Pattie's Creations - Christmas with an image
QKR - use some glitter (hope that stickles glitter glue counts)
Winter Wonderland - holly and/or ivy (holly flourish die)
Inky Chicks - Merry Christmas
Crafty Boots - spots or dots (I LOVE dotted swiss ribbon for Christmas!)
Pile it On - use red and green

Sparkle and Shine with Really Reasonable Ribbon

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Today begins a new challenge over at the Really Reasonable Ribbon challenge blog. the challenge will run for the entire month of December and the theme is 'Shimmer and Sparkle with ribbon.' I hope you will stop by the blog to see all of the beautiful projects made by the team to inspire you. Be sure to play along with us, too! :)

I decided to make another of my altered almond cans, but this time with a Christmas theme. these are really fun to make. I have a feeling I might just be doing these for various holidays.

The can itself was coated with several coats of gesso, sprayed with pearl glimmer mist, coated with rock candy distress stickles, and then a final coat of icicle stickles was added.

The ribbon spools were painted white and then sprayed with red glimmer mist prior to decorating. sorry the one in front in the photo looks to be leaning. I was trying to get all of the sides in the photo and that one got a bit wonky. ;)

the bird & pine cone pick is from Michael's. I added touches of frosted lace stickles to add not only sparkle but the look of snow to go match the bottom of the tower. Iridescent white metallic string was used to create a large bow that is centered with a rhinestone, also from Michael's.

The ribbon spools are decorated with both vintage buttons and tiny buttons, candy cane stickles, and flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. paper is from the Authentique Tidings collection. I will list the other supplies below.

ribbons and trims:
1/8" diagonal stripe parrot green
5/8" swiss dots olive
2 1/2" plain cotton blend
1 1/2" red gingham
lipstick red seam binding (sprayed with Mr. Huey's shine mist)

Wild Orchid Crafts flowers and leaves:
10mm and 15mm red open roses
cream cherry blossoms
green cherry blossoms
cream hip rose buds
green hip rose buds
red rose buds
small and large holly leaves
red tuscany rose

thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with another project to share. :)

Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks - winter
Craft Rocket - anything goes
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
DL Art - Christmas
Scrap and Craft - anything Christmas
Crafting by Designs - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes/bling it up
Decorate to Celebrate - anything goes
Little Red Wagon - traditional Christmas colors
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - let it snow
Pile it On - use red and green
A Snowflake's Promise - anything goes with winter/Christmas theme
Papertake Weekly - anything goes with holiday gift option
TTCRD - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Ch - time to decorate
Sisters of Craft - anything goes

New Design Team Announcement! :)

Coffee of the Day - Blueberry Cobbler

Hello everyone! just a quick post today to announce that I am now a member of the Design Team over at Crafts Galore Encore Challenges! my position takes effect at the start of the new year, so you'll see me on their blog then.

but a new challenge has started NOW if you want to play along. :) it's an Anything Goes theme, so that's always a fun one to play along with!

I'm always so very thankful for a team that wants to take a chance on me and my crazy, different crafting style. so I am very grateful to the folks at Crafts Galore Encore to reaching out to me!

a big thank you to my other teams at Really Reasonable Ribbon and Paper Temptress, too! :)

and a HUGE thank you to each one of you who leave such wonderful comments that truly make my heart soar! have a beautiful day! :)