Holidays on the Brain

The holiday bug has bit me tonight.  After a phone conversation with a friend, I decided to go on the prowl for some holiday gift ideas.  At the top of my list is a crocheted coffee cozy,

like this one:

 or maybe this one:

too bad I missed the boat on this one:

 and isn't this one fancy:

I love the stripes on this one:

and the beads on this one:

I like the chunkiness of this one:

And check out this cute as a button one:

Threadbanger also shared a round up post of knitted, sewn, and crocheted coffee cozies,
and I'll tuck that post here for safe reference.

And then I open my email to find the latest issue of the Daily Digi newsletter, where I linked to this little project complete with free kit download.  I am definitely going to put this together in plenty of time for the holidays.  I'm planning to make it an 8 1/2 x 11 album with photo page protectors to slip in photos and recipes.  I really loved the simple documentation of pages like this:

 

and this:

Can't wait to get started on this project!  

We'll see how this goes since my December Daily from last year is still sitting in my WIP basket!

Oh, and I'm really thinking about doing the card a day project again this year.  I've got one more day to make a decision on this one.  We'll see on Monday!

How about you?  Any handmade holiday gift ideas planned this year?

November Sneak Peeks

November is quickly approaching, time for a little sneak peek at the Scrapbook Heaven November Elite Kit.

I'll be back on the first with the full reveal.

A Little Halloween Treat

I am in denial that Halloween is a week away, and while the boys don't have costumes made yet, they will have some adorable treats to hand out to their classmates.

 The idea for this l'il cutie came from this creation at Splitcoast Stampers.  Here's the how to:

1. Cut orange cardstock 2.75 x 8.5" (you can get four pumpkins per sheet).
2. Score at 3.75, 4.25, & 4.75" to create a pleated bottom.
3. Fold in half and run through paper crimper to add ridged texture.
4. Optional: ink edges and ridges with orange ink to add more dimension.
5. Use slot punch to create slit at top (or use a razor blade to cut a slit).
6. Use Sizzix Pumpkins #2 die to cut jack-o-lantern face from black (or stamp the face, or hand cut/draw your own design, or use patterned paper and ditch the faces all together!)
7. Cut scrap of brown folded in half for stem.
8. Hand cut green leaf, and score down center.
9. Cut thin strip of green and wrap around a pencil to create the vine.
10. Fill a cellophane or plastic bag with small treats and adhere to inside of pouch.
11. Slip stem through slit, add leaf and vine, and glue closed.

Then be crazy like me and repeat this process 60 times.  I have enlisted some little helpers to put these together, and they are loving it.  Thank goodness the child labor laws don't apply to Moms!

Scrapbooking Crop

OK, I am getting myself back in the blogging saddle, again.  Things here just got a bit busy, well, I won't bore you with all the details and excuses.  Let's get on to the fun stuff!

Scrapbook Heaven is having a crop right now, entries end tomorrow for a chance at prizes, but there's never a deadline for inspiration.  If you're looking for some inspiration and need a challenge to boost your creativity, please check it out, either in the forum or on the blog.

Here are the two layouts and sketches I designed:

The challenge: pile on the embellies!

 

The challenge: use a photo of food on your layout

And here are two layouts I created last night with Carla's and Jules' sketches.

 I picked up DCWV "Doodlin' Around" stack yesterday and couldn't wait to hack into it.  Monsters with crazy hairdo's were the perfect accent for my baby's first haircut.  I just need to add a little pull tab that attaches to an envie of his hair locks.

This paper is from Collage Press.  I am totally smitten with these papers.  The colors are so bright and cheery, and the prints are just plain adorable.  I'm feeling lots of holiday cards coming from this little set!

I also have a couple of crochet projects to share and an adorable Halloween Treat, so please stay tuned!

Hello?

Oh my goodness, blog is that you??  You're still here?  I am so sorry to leave you all by your lonesome for all this time.  I have been blogging, just sadly not here with you.  I promise to make it up to you, dear, lonely blog and I'll post a few of the things I've been working on lately.  It's not much, because, well sometimes it's just like that.  But I'll get right to it tomorrow, I pinky swears! 

World Card Making Day

I was caught behind the eight ball with this year's WCMD, but did manage to scrape out 2 cards over the weekend (amidst my frantic and crazed reorganizing binge: three closets, my stUdio, the attic, part of a basement, the scrap paper bin--nothing was safe!  I have no idea where the organizing thing came from but I was not about to question it).

Using up some OLD Prima flowers (remember those little 'Got Flowers' in the cute mini milk bottles?).  Ran the white mat through the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder.

Created the flowers on this card in a few simple steps.

1. Free cut various-sized circles from raw canvas.
2. Paint them with a wash of acrylic paint and let dry (or zap 'em with the ol' heat gun if you're impatient like me)
3. Layer them, add a button center and stitch them all together.
4. Glue to ribbon stems adorned with bookprint-cut leaves washed in green acrylic.

Happy October!

It's reveal time at Scrapbook Heaven, and I am so super duper excited to share the projects I created with this month's Petite kit.  Shannon has put together a fabulous kit perfect for those Halloween projects.  It is overflowing with hauntingly fabulous papers, deliciously spooky trims, frighteningly sparkly glitter stickers, and eerily adorable rubons.  You are not going to want to miss out on this one!   So quick like a ghost, float on over to the store and get yours right now before they all vanish from the shelves!

Layout #1:  all kit except the little yellow button (told you those rub-ons were adorable!)

Layout #2: added alpha stickers ('candy' and 'scary' from my stash

Altered frame decor: added white rub-on letters, punched and glittered cross, tiny black RIP letters, and pearl centers to flowers

 

And my fave project of the bunch, this paper bag mini (everything but crepe paper and paper bags are in the kit.)

I told you this kit is overflowing with yummies--the only thing Shannon forgot is the fun size Halloween chocolate!