Christmas 2011

Well, Christmas 2011 has come and gone...and I guess the most honest assesment of it is that it wasn't the total pits, but it sure was a somber time as this was the first Christmas without my Dad. 

Most of my family was in Tennessee with my Mom, which I am thankful for...I really didn't want her to be alone.  I stayed in Florida with my 2nd oldest sister and her family.  We have spent quite a bit of time in TN since my Dad's passing and getting more time off from work for Christmas just wasn't going to happen this year.

I was also on call the week of Christmas for work, so that is never a fun thing.

I really tried to be happy with my sister's kids, but honestly, outside of that, I would have been perfectly happy to sleep it all away.  I'm relieved it's over and we survived it.  How's that for Christmas cheer?

I guess that's all I have for now.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my craft room for some card making that has nothing to do with Christmas...I guess a few weeks of anything goes cards might be what's in store. 

I'm ready to say goodbye to 2011...how about you?

Christmas Card #5

I realize there is more than one card here...but the sketch was the same, so I'm just showing you all 3 versions of the sketch that I created.  All the paper is from the Mistletoe collection, now retired, by CTMH.  The stamps are also CTMH and retired.  I used a kraft card base (kraft paper from Papertrey Ink).  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but on the "Joy" stamp, I used a green pearl in the middle and surrounded it with itty bitty sparkles, and on the "Noel" card, there is an itty bitty sparkle in the middle of the bow on the gift.  I cut all the circles and ovals on my cricut...which makes for a fairly fast assembly.  The colors on these cards are Cranberry and New England Ivy.

Christmas Card #4

This card was a breeze to make.  I used a red card base and then some ornament paper from DCWV.  There is glitter embedded in the paper.  I then cut an ornament and a shadow on my cricut and layered them.  I used some adhesive foam on the alternating swirls in teh ornament to give it some texture/movement and then tied a bow at the top.  Easy peasy!



Christmas Card #3

Today's cards are variations of ones I first made for Operation Write Home (the 2nd card is a copy of it).  On my cards, I used some glitter glue on the trees for just a little sparkle.  The tree stamps are from Close To My Heart and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.  I love how the paper (from DCWV) has non traditional Christmas colors of pink, burgundy and lime green in it.  I used CTMH Pear ink for the trees.  Fun &fast to recreate!  (There are also some itty bitty sparkles the tops of the trees in the 2nd card!)

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If you are looking for some great clearance deals from Close To My Heart, check out my website http://www.abbycandlish.myctmh.com/ and look under the "Shop Oline" tab for the "While Supplies Last" items.  They have just added several new items to this list and I'm confident they will sell quickly!

Happy Shopping! :)

Christmas Card #2

Yes, I realize this is more than one card, but the layout is the same.  I used papers from Hobby Lobby (not sure of the company brand, but I think the snowmen paper is from The Paper Company) and these cute felt embellishments they had in the Christmas craft section.

I used a sketch from Operation Write Home (#83).  It is a super easy design and I will share a few more cards I made using it tomorrow!  Enjoy!

Christmas Card #1

I have been making Christmas cards for a few years now, but this is the first year I won't be sending any store bought at all...it's homemade or nothing! :)  I typically make a few cards of several different designs so I don't get bored and then I have a variety of styles/colors/sentiments I can pick from when I'm chosing a card for a specific individual.  Here is the first card I'm going to share this year:

This card is CASED from Vicki Wizniuk, a fellow CTMH consultant.  It features the paper from "Believe" which has Holiday Red, Sweet Leaf, Sky and White Daisy in it.  I used a stamp from Papertrey Ink for the sentiment in Black (some say Season's Greetings and some say Merry & Bright).  The snowflake is a Marvy punch and then I used a white snowflake brad in the center I purchased at JoAnn's.  I didn't glue the snowflake down, it's attached with the brad, which allows for it to spin if you want to.  The scallop border across the bottom is a Fiskars border punch. 

The assembly of a group of these is fairly easy and the end result is a nice not too bulky card that is easy to mail.  I made 6 of these for Operation Write Home back in November and 4 for my own use.  Hope you like it!



David's Visit

So far, David has had a pretty exciting visit!  Last Wednesday, he spent the afternoon at my office and was given a special ID badge with the title of "Chief Volunteer"...made his day!

Then on Friday, he helped me set up my Christmas tree...but this was all we accomplished:

Then on Saturday, he visited with Erica and Grace to work on some Christmas projects (I can not get into detail about this because it's a surprise!)

Here he is teasing Grace, who is not pictured.

Here he is working diligently on his artwork.

December Is Here!

Ok, so I wasn't very good with keeping up with blogging in November.  It's been a crazy month and I feel bad I did not continue posting about what I'm thankful for through the month, but that in no way means I wasn't thankful for SO much and I continue to be thankful every day for the blessings God has given me in my life. 

My mom was visiting for about 10 days this month and then my brother David flew down for a month long visit on the 17th.  Lots of family time and a little crafting time this past weekend too!  I know, I know...I need to post some pictures!  Let me see what I can do today. :)

Day #5

*Yes, I know I am posting this late...it will be OK.

I am thankful on day #5 for my FIVE nieces and nephews!  Tyler (13), Maya (11), Branden (9), Olivia (7) and Gracellyn (3).  They are all bright, funny, adorable (of course) and sensitive kids.  They are loving, giving and have big hearts.  Love them all and love how they are all different but similar.  I love how the girls love to be crafty...they enjoy the same things which makes getting together a lot of fun!  The boys are pure boy and love to be outside, but they can be lured into my craft world from time to time. :)

Being an Aunt is a great...and for that I am thankful!

Day #4

Day 4 of 30 days of Thanksgiving...I am thankful for the ability to craft.  Over the past few years I have joked that my crafting is therapy, but I could not be more serious about it.  Being able to make paper crafty things has been a great escape, comfort and therapy for me over the years and I thank God for giving me an outlet for my stress or whatever it is I'm going through at the time.  I am also greatful that my craftiness is able to bring some joy and/or comfort to others...more on that another day. :)

30 Days of Thanksgiving

Yes, I realize it's November 3rd and I'm late starting this month of thanks, but better late than never!

#1 - I am thankful for my parents.  The older I get, the more I realize how blessed I am to have the parents I have, but this has never been more clear to me than over the past 6 months since the passing of my dad.  I'm sorry to say I don't think I ever got the chance to tell him how lucky I was to have him...I'll try to not make that mistake with my mom. 

#2 - I am thankful for salvation.  Who am I to deserve the love of my Lord and Savior?  His grace and mercy are abundant and I am in need of it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

#3 - I am thankful for my brother, Matt.  He has been a confidant and friend for many years, but he is more than that.  I'm thankful he found a wonderful wife, Kristi and that they have 2 wonderful daughters, Maya and Olivia.  Such JOY!  Thank you Matt for being an example of what a husband and father should be. 

Daydreaming at Work...

You know, some days I just can't seem to do anything but daydream about all the stuff I'd love to be making...there have been a lot of those days here lately.  Can't help but think of all the cards I need to make and projects I need to come up with for Christmas...it's just too much for my brain.  The problem is, by the time I get home from work, I don't have the energy to get all these great ideas out of my brain.  It's a vicious cycle!!

I'm a list maker, so maybe I need to start prioritizing the items that need to be done so I can focus when I do have the time and energy at home to be crafting.  Does this happend to anyone else?

Just a little groovy card...

I finally spent a little bit of time in my scrap room this weekend...mostly cleaning & organizing and finding places for all the stuff I've been moving around, but last night I was inspired to make this card.  It's a birthday card for my niece, Maya, who will be 11 this week.  She's a groovy girl so this seemed to suit her...it didn't hurt that I had some 80's music on in the background.  :) 

The patterned paper is from Michael's...Recollections I think is the paper line.  The metallic paper was bought at WalMart a few years back and the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby, you know, those small spools you can get for a buck.  The sentiment stamp is from Papertrey Ink.  I cut the front of the card shorter so you can see the purple zebra print that lined the inside of the card.

A busy week ahead...

I have been down and out with some kind of flu/cold funk since last Wednesday...so I don't have much to report on today except that this coming weekend is FINALLY our Operation Write Home event and I'm just really looking forward to it.  With just a few days left before the big day, we have 750 card kits fully prepared for our card makers.  I would love to have a grand total of 1,000 for the event, but I'm happy with what we've been able to do considering all the hurdles that have come along the past few months.  I will have to remember to take photos of all the finished cards and madness of next Saturday!

This week will be full of my regular job (not fun) and the final preparations for the OWH event...and still trying to get back to normal health wise.  Busy, busy busy.

Have a good week ... I'll be back to report on the event early next week!

Ready for the WEEKEND!!!

For those of you who know me, it is no surprise to you that I am so glad the weekend is almost here (technically, I have to wait until 5pm to be completely overjoyed about the weekend).  It's been a rough week and I'm really looking forward to some fun time.

On the agenda:

1 - Card kit assembly with some friends.
2 - Sleep...and hopefully restful sleep.
3 - Meeting for lunch with an old family friend.
4 - More card kit making.

Pretty simple...nothing too complicated if I don't get in my own way.  Most importantly, my craft time is really good therapy for me and hopefully it will soothe away the not so fun week I've had.

No Mojo!

I am beginning to think I've lost my mojo.  With just a two short weeks until my first Operation Write Home event, I can't seem to force myself into my craft room.  I've been battling a migraine on and off for about 2 weeks now and I think it's just zapped all my energy.

Also, tonight is the first Grief Share session and I'm kind of apprehensive about going...don't like to cry in public and I don't think there is any way to get around that tonight.  I'm going to give it a try though and we'll see how it goes.

There is a long weekend coming up...maybe my mojo will return by Friday?

I MUST CRAFT!!!

I have not felt well all week...and in turn have only spent ONE hour in my scrappy crafty room since last weekend!!!  (I actually went home last night and went to bed...at 6:30...that is NOT normal)  This is unacceptable and I am so ready to get something made! (Well, and get my house cleaned up 'cause I haven't felt like doing any of that either all week).

On the agenda for this weekend...100+ card kits for OWH, playing with my new CTMH items that came in this week and finish organizing my scrap room after last weekends rearranging.  Friends will be over on Sunday to help with the OWH weekend goal, so that will be REALLY helpful!  Hope to have lots of cards to post on Monday!

Ho Hum...

I thought I would spend several hours in the craft room tonight, but I only managed one (1!) hour...I am just too tired to not take myself to bed.  Oh well...pieces for 23 more cards are cut...just need the bases, stamp all the images and make up the sample...it will have to wait until tomorrow night. :(

Hurricane Irene...

Ok, I know this sounds really bad...but I was really hoping we would have a false alarm hurricane day this coming Friday!  I would never wish destruction of property or harm to anyone due to a storm...but a false alarm that would grant us a "just in case" day off would be totally welcome!!!  But it doesn't look like Irene is going to cooperate with me on that one this week.  Bummer.

Since it now looks like it's gaining speed and headed for the Carolina's, possibly a Category 3 by landfall, I will now wish that it fizzles out all together...or keeps moving east.

Scrap Room

On Friday, I had an idea of some minor changes I could make to my scrap room to make it more functional for me...I was just itching to get out of work and go home to see if it would all work out!!  Well, it did and I'm loving it.  I'll have to post some pictures once it's all cleaned up.  There are still some items that I need to find a home for...but honestly, it's really just some surplus stuff I need to use up! (Shocking, I know).  The set up will be more functional for me when I'm scrappin' alone...and roomier for when I have guest over.  I'm still figuring out how to maximize some of my shelving space and then I have several more drawers to make labels for.  Baby steps...

My sister and I cleared enough space to work on OWH cards on Saturday, so there can't be THAT much work left to do, right?  (See pictures in previous blog for the cards we completed).

I am also trying to clean things out for a yard sale sometime after September 17th and working on making space for a new credenza my sister is passing on to me...so the rest of my house looks like I just moved in...LOL  Oh well, the vision is there and I know it will all look fabulous when it's done!  It's amazing the things I've collected just over the past 2 years since the last yard sale!

Samples of the Kits Prepared this Weekend...

I'm way to tired to comment on all of these pictures, but here are the sample cards my sister and I assembled this weekend and a few my friend Lea helped me with last weekend.  The kits contain 6-24 of the same card with the sample included to show party goers how they are supposed to look.  Enjoy! (Maybe I'll be able to add some details in the next day or two).

Some of these cards were inspired by designs I saw in magazines or on other crafter's blogs.  I love how you can take a design you see and it ends up looking totally different with your own papers and supplies you have on hand.

The card I saw that inspired this card was from another CTMH Consultant.  She used more of a red color & used pearls on the tips of the flowers.  For OWH, I'm trying to keep cards mail friendly & this card still was cute without them.  Super cute and these colors were Fall friendly as well!

Ready for the WEEKEND!

If you know me, you know I LOVE the weekend.  This weekend will be filled with many crafty hours working on kits for an upcoming OWH card making party.  The focus this weekend will be on kids cards...mostly birthday or any occassion.  This causes me to step outside my comfort zone.  I can do girly cards all day long, but it's the boy cards that take forever to dream up.  I've been scouring various blogs looking for inspiration...wish me luck!  What do YOU have on your crafting agenda this weekend?

Pinwheels...Yes, there are more!

These are the rest of the pinwheel samples for some OWH kits (for now...I'm sure there will be more along the way).  I really like how they turned out, even though my pictures are not as good as I would like.  The ones with embossed backgrounds have no sentiment on them, so they can be used for any occasion.  Enjoy!

These first two are both made with CTMH Magnifique paper. The colors are more true on the 2nd card than the 1st. "You make me Smile" is a Papertrey Ink stamp. The buttons and floss are from my stash & everything else is CTMH.

The next two are made with the Sweetheart paper from CTMH. The brads in the center are from my stash.

The next two are made with paper from the Emporium line by CTMH.  I used paper flowers and pearls for the center of the pinwheels, everything else is CTMH.

The next two are made with CTMH's Caboodle papers.  They are bright and cheery!  The brad on the first one is from my stash, but everything else is CTMH.

This last group of two is from the Lucky paper line by CTMH.  They are more masculine papers, so I'm hoping they have a "manly" appeal.  Everything is CTMH.

And this last pinwheel was made with some paper in my stash that I think I bought at the dollar spot in Target.  Everything here is from my stash except the stamp I used.

All the borders on these cards were done with Fiskar border punches and all the embossing was done on my Cuttlebug using Cuttlebug embossing folders.  I like the variety of colors in this group & I hope the OWH recipients like them too!

Wow...2 post in 1 day!!

Here are a few of the birthday card kits that are prepped for the Sept. 17th party!



This next card is the same design, but we used pearlescent paper & embossed it with the same folder.  Still kind of shiny and really cute! 

This is the 3rd card with the same Cricut cut...just different pattern.  For some texture, we ran the "bow" through the divine swirls cuttlebug embossing folder.  The stamp is from Papertrey Ink.  Simple, yet still cute! 



This is my favorite of the 3 gift boxes.  This metallic paper was sold at WalMart a few years back...I would love to find some more of it.  It embossed beautifully and really is just as shiny in person! :)



And of course...I have to have a birthday pinwheel!  This is Pansy Purple cardstock from CTMH paired with some pattern paper from DCWV for the pinwheel and a simple gold star brad in the center.



Card Kits, Card Kits, and More Card Kits

With a little over four weeks (YIKES!) before our Operation Write Home card party, I was once again busy in the craft room working on card kits this weekend.  Here are the sample cards for the kits that were completed. (Well, most of them, I still have some photos to take!)

Birthday Card - Used patterned paper from DCWV and all cardstock is CTMH.  The cupcake is from the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge by CTMH and it has a coordinating stamp.  The cupcake "wrapper" is embossed with the cuttlebug.  The "celebrate" stamp is also CTMH.  Used Petal, Tulip & Taffy cardstock.

This is a blank Pinwheel card using papers from CTMH's Veranda line.  I used a wooden button in the center of the pinwheel and embossed the Juniper background cardstock with tehe cuttlebug.



This is another pinwheel made with the Veranda papers by CTMH.  I used a different cardstock background and used a stamp that says "There is always something for which to be thankful".  I used a border punch by Fiskars on the background cardstock.



This Winter themed card is a mix of paper from DCWV, CTMH & The Paper Co.  The tag was cut out on the Cricut using "Very Merry Tags".  My friend Lea patiently stitched up the laces on the skates with pink embroidery floss and added a cute pink rhinestone.

Christmas Pinwheel using CTMH Jingle papers and Tulip carstock background embossed with the cuttlebug.  It's hard to see in the photo, but I used a snowflake brad in the center of the pinwheel.  Super cute, super fast, super easy!

That's all for now...I have more cards to share, but I'll have to do a separate post for those.  (And yes, there will be more pinwheels!)  LOL

I am still working away on kits for the upcoming OWH card party!  These cards are super easy and pretty flat.  All the papers are from the "Veranda" line by Close To My Heart (CTMH) and the brown frame stamp is also CTMH.  The sentiment stamps are by Papertrey Ink (I just love the font they use on them!)

In the middle photo, you can see all the pieces that go into this kit.  Enjoy!