Christmas Wonderland

I hope that all of you, your family and loved ones are safe and well. It's so sad what the people in Haiti are going through. Certainly makes you stop and think.

It's been a while since I've actually completed a layout. It seems like I'm always working on a project. Well, this morning I decided that I wanted to do something with the pictures of our yard during Christmas. Dave always does such a wonderful job decorating it for all to enjoy.

I was rather lazy and thought I'd do a digital layout for a change. I've had this Peppermint Kisses kit from Scrap Girls for some time, LOVE the paper and thought it would be perfect. I guess the only other thing I used was a font from my computer, Amazone.


Everything but the snowmen and penguin came down after New Year. What's left will come down tomorrow for Teddy to come out for Valentine's Day.

I've added several blogs to the list on the right column lately. One I added today was What's the Scoop a division of Paper Popsicles. It's a new one and has some cute ideas.

I really need to get everything together so that I can share some Cricut projects with you. I spent most of last weekend covering Target mailboxes. However, I got my original file from someone else and can't figure out who she is or how to get in contact with her. Does anyone know Leann that did a Target Mailbox file?

OK, off to figure out what I've done lately and get some pictures downloaded.

Jill

Reindeer Tags

Well, most of the Christmas decorations are down. Just have to pack some of them away tomorrow and make a trip or two to the storage unit. What happened to December?

I do have a file to share with you today, but it's a very straight forward one. That's to say that I did not make any adjustments to it.

In November, I decided that I wanted to have a Christmas Luncheon sometime in December. I thought it would be difficult as everyone is always so busy at this time of the year. I set the date and sent out an email inviting five of the divas for a Saturday afternoon. To my surprise, they ALL accepted! Then my hopeful Saturday afternoon grew into a full weekend crop with some coming on Friday afternoon, one coming Saturday morning, one only coming for Saturday and everyone else leaving on Sunday. Wow!

Somehow, my idea to make an ornament for each of the girls grew and grew. I made round glitter ornaments and etched their initials in the heart shaped ornaments. My mother had found some heart shaped candy dishes. I came across some Christmas magnetic notepads. I added a Scentsy travel tin, a packet of peppermint cocoa, some peppermint and chocolate candies, a Christmas pencil and a little Christmas game.


Of course, I had to have a nice way to present all of this to them and found these bags at Hobby Lobby just the perfect size. The etched ornament was wrapped in tissue and placed in the candy dish. The glitter ornament was placed in a small Christmas cube box that I got at Michaels. Everything else was placed in a Christmas goodie bag I got at Hobby Lobby. I added red sparkly filler and topped with tissue paper. Then I made tags to match and tied it all up with red ribbon.


Here they are under my pink tree all ready for the girls. Can you see the reindeer tag hanging under the red bow? It's from Very Merry Tags. I cut the tag in black and the layer in red. Then I used Winter Woodland to cut their initial in red and put it on the back of the tag. Why did I not take a close up of the front and back of the tags?


Here we are gathered around my big tree before our ornament exchange and before they received their party bags. Some of the dearest friends a girl could ever hope to have. On the left side is me standing and Kay kneeling. On the right side is Angie in the Arkansas shirt standing next to Virginia with Dawn kneeling and Rose Mary sitting.


We've had our ornament exchange and set those aside. Now it's time to dig in once again. What fun!




All of these goodies and what did they play with? The little toy mazes. You know, the ones that you flip the little thing and the ball ricochets around kind of like a pinball machine. Kids!


It was a wonderful weekend and we had a GREAT time. We all have beautiful ornaments and memories, and we're making plans for next year.

Here's the file for my tags. Again, I didn't make any adjustments to the images. I love this cartridge and hope to make more tags for my Christmas presents this year. I seem to have run out of time last year.

Reindeer Tags

We had another beautiful day here, but COLD. Ok, cold for us. Chance of snow flurries tonight and tomorrow but no accumulation.

Loving 2010,
Jill

P.S. Yahooooooooo! I just found out that the Razorbacks won the Liberty Bowl. Way to go, Hogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Not sure why I didn't watch the game. I forgot about it when we got home from dinner.)

Pink Tree

Happy New Year! I hope that all of you have safely made it to 2010 and have had an awesome first day. It was absolutely beautiful here!

Dave took down part of our outdoor decorations today. More will come down tomorrow. But our snow related items will remain another month. I hate driving home after Christmas when all of the lights have come down and it's so dreary. But then I get home and my house is still bright and cheery.

I've also decided to leave one of my trees up for a while. This tree was added new this year. A few years ago, our Race Committee thank you gift was a Christmas ornament. Mine hangs from an ornament holder all year on an end table in the living room, but I decided that I wanted a pink tree to hang it on for Christmas. Pink decorations weren't the easiest thing to find, but between finding some and making others, I think it turned out great. It's fun and has made me very happy.


It sits on a table in our foyer. Back in 2005, I decided it was time to remove the wallpaper in there and paint. I taped paint samples up and took them down as they were eliminated as a possibility. I finally got it down to THE color. Well, 4 years later, I decided that really was THE color and proceeded to remove the wallpaper. Then I had to contact the painter and get him out here. No, I don't always take that long. I decided as long as he was coming, I'd have him repaint the hallway also. It just took me a week to finalize that color. Anyway, most of the following shots were taken after wallpaper removal and before painting.


Above is the ornament that started it all. The opposite side says "This One's for the Girls" which was our theme that year.


The ornaments above Love above and above and below and to the left of Joy below are some that I made with the clear ornaments and acrylic paint. None of the pictures show the ones I made with glitter or with alcohol ink.




Don't you love my tree topper and the angel wings?


I love it with the lights on.


Yes, it definitely looks better since the walls have been painted.


The penguin and things on the shelf behind the tree are Pink Palooza that I found at Hobby Lobby. So cute AND pink! And the photo is our Race Committee from 2009.

There's really nothing Christmasy on the tree, so I think it's good through Valentine's Day. Other than my snowmen, rest of my decorations will come down tomorrow. I've really enjoyed my decorations this year, so I'm sad to be putting them away.

And, yes, the foyer's color is pink but the hallway is blue.

I'll share more cricut tomorrow but wanted to share part of me to start 2010. I hope you don't mind.

Hugs,
Jill