December 26...

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year.  It was busy but wouldn't have had it any other way.  We went to Magnolia early Christmas morning to delivery gifts to Katye & her family, stopping at Tim & Sarah's on the way to pick up a few things.  The boys were high from Santa's visit with toys and gift wrapping everywhere.  What fun they must have had opening their gifts from Santa.  The girls were excited about all the stuff that Santa brought them also, everyone was in the holiday spirit when we left to come home.  We were back by noon so I could start our dinner and relax before Tim and his family came over for the afternoon.  It was quite noisy the rest of the day at our house.  James got a remote control spider and what fun he had trying to scare Mommy and Gramma-ma, he just loved hearing us squeal and squeal we did!  The boys stayed with us for the night and  were still going strong as Pap and I were dragging to keep up with them   We were all fast asleep by 10 just to get up bright and early this morning to start all over again.  What joy it is to have little ones around at Christmas time,  their happy little faces just melts my heart.  Posting just a few of my favorite photos from our Christmas day.  I hope you and your families had a terrific Christmas too!  Until next time, Stay safe!

Happy Wednesday

I've been under the weather these past few days, the nasty cold Tom had and I was trying to avoid, found me anyway.  What rotten luck!  Tim was in the hospital two days with a staff infection that they can't seem to get a grip on, Sarah had finals and everyone else works so I had the sweetest two little boys to watch over.  I sat in the recliner watching them play, the I love you Gramma-ma from a four year old little boy was the best medicine and it didn't cost me an office visit.  I've said it many times before, they are such a joy to have stay with us.  They went home after dinner tonight and it seems so very quiet now.  Missing them already. 

I'm still without a car, Tom won't get his truck back until this weekend.  I really haven't needed it so far this week but feel lost not having it at home.   I still haven't mailed the Christmas packages to family members in other states yet, usually have this done before the 10th of the month.  Just can't get motivated.  Guess this cold is taking it's toll on me.  Bridge Christmas party tomorrow night and then the SU demonstrators get together on Saturday.  A lot of activity next week also but this is just the hustle and bustle of the holiday season which I love.  The tree is up and the house is decorated, all the gifts are bought and most of them wrapped and under the tree.  A few cookies, caramel corn, and cheese spreads to make and then shop for Christmas dinner.  Doesn't seem like a lot, just busy stuff.   Planning on running one more time to the toy store for odds and ends.  Poor Tom, guess he will get slippers again this year.   It is very hard to buy for someone with no wants. 

I hope you all had a great hump day and are looking forward to relaxing weekend.  Until next time.....
Stay happy!

Note pad holder....

Look what I made this afternoon!  It was so simple and perfect to keep in your purse to jot down all you Christmas notes and lists.  I used some left over Figgy Pudding paper that was in my stash from years ago.  The button and card stock is SU.  I printed the NOTES title on the computer and used an edge punch to decorate the edges.  The closure is magnetic snaps from Basic Grey.  Cute little ditty, huh?

Scraptabulous Crop.......

Our Scraptabulous Crop has been finalized.  I have wanted to do this for so long and now my dream is becoming a reality.   Our crops will be the first Saturday of each month at the Hampton Inn on the Katy Freeway, next to Popeye's fried chicken.  A very convenient location.  This first crop will be off the charts with fun make-n-takes and door prizes.  Meals will be provided but if you bring a snack to share, you will receive an extra raffle ticket for our drawing.

Mark your calendars for February 4th and come join us for a day filled with sharing, laughter and just plain old fashion fun!  Seating is limited so be sure to register early at www.CaseyByDesign.com.   Any questions, don't hesitate to call either of us.

Until later, stay warm!

Recipe book.....

Finally  finished the recipe book I have been working on off and on this past week.  It was such a fun and interesting project.  Would you believe this little book took sixteen 12 x 12 pattern paper sheets?  This is a Laura Denison pattern from Following the Paper Trail.  You must take a look at her blog, she does the most amazing projects.  Several of her projects were featured in the Tim Holtz booth at CHA this year.  Her work is up there with the best crafters. 

It is amazing what a little chipboard, a Graphic 45 paper pack, black card stock and a bit of ribbon can turn out.  Next recipe book with be a Christmas theme.  Love this pattern!  It was a fun and easy project. 

Until next time, enjoy my recipe book and  this beautiful holiday season.  

Antibac holders......

I made these antibacteria holders for my Bridge group Christmas party next week.  All products used are from SU.  The card stock is Cherry Cobbler, the DPS is a retired Christmas paper from last year, the sentiment is from the Bells & Boughs stamp set, stamped in Cherry Cobble ink and popped on the front using dimensionals.  I added Very Vanilla satin ribbon across the top with a small tag stamped with the Tiny Tags stamp set.  I used velcro enclosures to keep it closed.  I think they turned out so cute and the antibacteria gel is such a necessary item during this time of year.  I'm hoping the ladies of my Bridge group like their little treats.  Enjoy!

Swap bag...

Today I had a little time to play in my craft room and decided to make this swap bag for the upcoming Regionals in January.  The bag was designed by Lynn Pratt and will hold one hundred swap cards.  The directions were so easy to follow,  If you haven't gone to Lynn's website you must do so, she has some great stuff on there.  This is such a cute swap bag.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Have a good Sunday!

Happy Wednesday.....

Hope y'all had a great Wednesday.  I finished putting the ornaments on the Christmas tree and put out a few decorations.  Still need to do the beading on the tree to call it totally finished.  I hope to finish tomorrow and then I will post a picture of my handy work. 

I've started to cut the chip board for a project I hope to start and complete this month. Am I the only one that has such a problem cutting a 3/8" strip of chipboard?   I need three and I have three but none are the same size and I did measure it before I cut.  This is very discouraging!  Tom just shakes his head as I struggle so.  I will be doing this project at an all day event with a friend.  Between the two of us we might just get it finished in time for Christmas. 

I am also making myself a recipe book from scratch.  I cut the chipboard earlier without any problems.   The papers I will be using are from Graphic 45, just love this line of paper, very vintage.  If and when I finish, I will post some photos.  Well, I'm off to play with my papers.  Until later, have a great evening.......

E-mail link.....

My friend came by this evening and put the e-mail link on my blog.  When you visit next time, subscribe using your e-mail address and whenever I add a new post you will be notified through your e-mail.  How great is that? This is new to me but really makes it convenient for y'all.  I follow several blogs this way and it is really great knowing when a new post has been added.  I look forward to having you visit my blog and really appreciate the comments some of you leave.  Makes my day! 

Demo Day

The demo day with my up line went well yesterday.  We started a little after ten in the morning and finished after five in the afternoon.  The six of us did a mini card swap and all the cards were very nice.  I am posting a picture of the swaps.  We also did several make-n-takes which were really over the top.  Some of the techniques I will use again in my card classes.  Posting the make-n-takes also.  Hope y'all enjoy the cards. 

Super Saturday......

Wow!  What a wonderful day I had.  I went to a Pampered Chef party this afternoon.  The catalog was chocked full of wonderful stuff for the kitchen.  I did a little Christmas shopping and a little shopping for me too.  They have such great stuff and such  good quality.

Tom started to put the tree up while I was gone.  I do believe this will be the last year for this trusty Christmas tree. The lights aren't working and it's looking a little sad.  He didn't put the bottom row of branches on since they were totally gone and it was really sagging.  We almost got in the truck and went looking for a new tree but decided one more time.   The tree is over fifteen years old so guess it is ready for retirement.

I am going to a Demo Day tomorrow with my up line, it will be like an all day thing with make-n-takes, card swapping, sharing and just having fun together.  This is the card I made for the card swap.  We had to use all current SU product, of course.  No other guide lines or themes, whatever we wanted to do. I made a Valentine card using the You Are Loved stamp set out of the current Occasions Mini catalog.  Valentine's Day isn't my cup of tea so this is really out of my comfort zone.  Gave it my best though and hope you all like my card.  Until next time, stay happy!

Black Friday....

I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving day!  It was hectic here with the family but wouldn't have it any other way.  The kids were fun as usual and seemed to have a good time with each other.  The grown ups visited and checked out all the ads that came in the morning paper.  There were a lot!  Everyone will  be putting together their Christmas lists and shopping.  Of course, we will not be out there with the masses today, just too many people and traffic for our liking.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Box Card with Tags...

Hey Everyone! I want to show you one of the cards I've been working on for my next card class.  Finished cutting all the kits for this class about an hour ago.  Lots and lots of pieces to cut out, took most of the day.  The card is actually a box to hold gift tags.  The recipient of the card gets a nice surprise on opening the card and finding four gift tags inside.  I watched the tutorial on you tube quite awhile ago but never had the chance to make it until now.  This is a take on the origami box card but much smaller and easier to make.  It uses one sheet of  8 1/2" X 11" card stock, a series of score lines, a cut here and there and  a small amount of sticky tape.  The tag is made from the Two Tags die from SU embellished with a punch art Santa.  The box itself is stamped with the Snow Much Fun stamp set by SU and then colored with watercolor pencils.  I finished it by using a belly band to keep the card closed.  I'm hoping the ladies in my card class will enjoy making this  box card.  What do y'all think?

Card & Recipe Swap...

Over The Top Cards & Crafts with Jeannine has a card swap every month.  The past three months we have also been doing a recipe card swap.  These are my swaps for the month of November.  When we are finished with the recipe swap, we will put them into a 6 X 6 album and have a very unique recipe book.  We should have over thirty recipes after this swap.  Just in time for holiday entertaining.....
Enjoy!

Cupcake box....

I just finished making this cute cupcake box for a friend of mine that loves cupcakes.  The box is an Andrea Walford design, I made a template and cut it by hand.  I used the crimper to make the base look like an actual cupcake wrapper.  The sprinkles on top are pebbles in multi colors.  The cherry is a 1 inch circle cut out of SU red glitter paper.  It was fun and fairly easy to make.  I hope she likes it, what do you think?

Tree....

Thirty one years ago we planted a Red Oak tree in the back yard.  It grew into a beautiful Oak tree that provided us with much shade.  On one of the branches we put a swing for our grandchildren, Pap spent many hours pushing Sammie, Allie and James as they squealed with delight.  Today we had the tree cut down because it contacted a root disease that may have been caused by the drought here in Texas.  This tree took thirty one years to grow over our house top but only two hours to be totally removed.  It is a sad day!

Nutcracker Box

I made this Nutcracker box this afternoon using a project file from Craft Project Central.  All the pieces were made using Stampin'Up! punches.  They were punched, cut, glued  and decorated before adhering to the box (included with the project).  It was a fun project but I now have glitter from one end of my desk to the other.  This is the reason I dislike using glitter, I get it everywhere.  The box is 6x2x1 1/2 inches, a great size for a small gift of jewelry or filled with candy canes to stuff into a stocking.  I hope you enjoy my Nutcracker box and run over to Craft Project Central to check out their site.  Until later.....

Thanksgiving Card Class.....

Some of us were really dragging at the Thanksgiving card class yesterday.  After such a late and busy Saturday and the time change, it was no wonder!  These are the cards that were shared at the retreat last month.  It is so interesting to see the ideas people come up with using the owl and bird punches.  Lucky for all of us that they share their designs.  I loved teaching this class, the looks on everyone's  faces when we used the bird punch to make a turkey on the platter, and three small circles to make a pumpkin, were just priceless!
Enjoy these beautiful cards from the demonstrators of Katy........

Calendar Class....

A group of ladies got together this past Saturday to do a calendar class with Elizabeth.  Wow!  This was a fabulous class, Elizabeth is so talented and her designs are so detailed and fun to do.  We did July-December for starters and will meet again in the near future to finish out the set.  These are the pages we made, don't you just love all the detail?  Thanks, Elizabeth! 

Two of us stayed on to scrap the night away.  We had a Mexican dinner at a local restaurant and then went back to the work tables to do whatever.  Unfortunately, I didn't accomplish much but we chatted, laughed and just had a good time before packing it in around 2ish.  The clocks were turned back an hour so it was after 3ish when we got home.  A great time with friends!

Happy November....

What a great Halloween we had in Katy.  The boys came by to Trick or Treat in our neighborhood so we had several hours of playtime with Jeffrey.  Big brother James was out knocking on doors getting more and more candy.  Jeffrey was quite content to have a lollipop that he shared with Pap and Mac.  Jeffrey looked so darn cute in his Yoda costume, James was dressed as a pirate as was his Mama.  They had a good time!  I am posting a few of the Halloween treats I made for my Trick or Treaters.  Let me know what you think!

Our Sunday card class went very well and rather fast.  The ladies made the card box with four cards and with only 51 days until Christmas, most have plans to make extras to use as gifts.  These boxes were a big hit.

We will be doing a class this Friday night and Sunday afternoon making Thanksgiving cards.   I attended the demonstrator retreat at Willow Creek several weeks ago with many talented ladies that shared their designs.  We will be using the bird and the 3/4" circle punches.  They are so cute and I can't wait to show my ladies what you can do with just punches.  It should be a fun class.

Saturday a group of us are going to a calendar class and scrappers night.  We are going to make the CD desktop calendar with a special page for each month.  Elizabeth will be teaching the class for us at Michelle's.
The calendars would also make nice gifts for Christmas.  It is going to be a full weekend for sure.

Hello!

It's been awhile since I've last posted.  It's been hectic here getting ready for my next card class and catching up on other stuff I've neglected since coming back from the retreat.  The retreat was wonderful, I have so many ideas and things to share that my head is swimming.  I cased this next project idea from a fellow SU demonstrator, Connie Stewart.  Connie's tutorial on her box making  is so fun and easy.  The photo is a set I am going to make in my next class.  Such a cute idea!  Thanks Connie for sharing your ideas and projects.

Busy......

It's been very hectic here the past several days.  I am trying to get things in order for my retreat this coming weekend.  It is very slow going!  So much to do and so little time left.  I need to have all my projects lined up so that I am not spending valuable retreat time looking for something I failed to pack.  I will try to post some photos from the October card swap before I leave.  Until then, have a wonderful Wednesday!

Card & Recipe swap.......

I am doing a card and recipe swap next week with a great group of ladies.  We get together every month at a restaurant to eat dinner, visit and have our card swap.  We usually have ten doing the swap.  It is a lot of fun and we get some amazing cards.  These are very talented ladies.  The card for this month was to be a birthday card.  This is what I made for the swap.  Hope you like it.  This is the second month for our recipe swap. The recipes are put on a 6X6 piece of card stock, decorated any way you like.  The end of three months we will have enough swaps to make a nice recipe book.  This is my swap for this month.  Enjoy!

MIA

Sorry I've been missing in action the past week or so.  My cousin Carol and her husband Dick stopped by for several days on their way back from vacationing in California.  This was such a treat since we don't get many visitors from Pennsylvania (my home state).  We spent so much time catching up, laughing and just enjoying each others company.  Tuesday we visited the San Jacinto monument, the battlehip Texas and then had lunch at the San Jacinto restaurant.  After lunch we made our way to Galveston for some shopping and a look at the three masted ship from Greece called the Alissa that Tom read about in the paper.  We drove the seawall for a short distance but opted for more shopping time.  The weather was sunny, warm and beautiful.  We couldn't have asked for a nicer day.  They left yesterday morning for the last leg of their trip.  Both were anxious to get home since they have been gone for three weeks.  I was missing them the moment they pulled out of our driveway.  We had such a wonderful time together and made a few memories to cherish.

I will have some cards to post next time but until then, stay happy!

Sunday card class.....

These were the cards we made today at our card class.  The cards were designed by Melissa Stout for a Stamp-a-Stack class.  All materials used are from Stampin'Up and features the Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set and Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper.  Thank you Melissa for sharing your designs with us.  The box was designed by me and is perfect for storing up to eight cards depending on the embellisments used.  The box can be decorated for any occasion and makes a great gift item. I hope these cards make you smile.......

Guess what?

That card challenge I posted earlier, my first one ever......I won!  Can you believe it?  Of course, there were only four other entries so the odds were super.  I must admit, this wasn't my best work and I really did it in a hurry before the deadline and before leaving for Pennsylvania.  I will be entering more card challenges in the future you can bet on that.  Have a super Friday night!  I'm off to Archiver's to scrap and chat with friends.
Until later......

Photos from home.....

It will be a few more weeks before all the trees are dressed in their harvest colors.  This is just a sampling of things yet to come.  These photos can't begin to show the beautiful color of Mother Nature.  Enjoy! 

Home again......

I am back home after a two week visit with my Mother and family in central Pennsylvania.  The weather was perfect, a few days of rain and a few days of having the furnace on for warmth.  It was quite a change from the high temps of Katy, Texas.

The trees were beginning to turn beautiful colors of red, orange and yellow everywhere we looked.  In a few more weeks it will be nature at it's best.  I will be posting some of the photos I took once I get settled in again.  The changing of the seasons is one of the things I miss most about living in Texas. 

I spent some time visiting with several old school mates.  Its great to be able to catch up on each others lives and we look forward to doing it all again next summer.  We also talked about having a 50th reunion in a couple years.  Where has the time gone? 

It was a great couple of weeks but as the old saying goes, "there is no place like home".  I am happy to be back home again!

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend.  Until  later.........

Halloween album and card.....

The Halloween album I worked on at the retreat this past weekend.  It was a kit from the local scrap book store by Pinecone Press Designs.  It's called an exploding circle album.  The card was made from some of the scraps left from the album.  A fun, fast project.  Hope y'all enjoy!

Hide Away Hill Retreat

I just returned from a fabulous four day retreat not far from Bastrop.  The retreat is owned and run by two sisters and their mother.  From the moment you are greeted by these wonderful ladies, you feel welcomed and relaxed.  They work together to make your stay with them very special.  We had a great time and look forward to returning in the spring.

Highway 71 was opened after being closed for several days during the wildfires in Bastrop.  We came home this way and it was so sad to see all the destruction caused by the fires.  Many people lost everything.  My heart goes out to each and everyone of them. 

Until next time be happy........

Card Challenge

I am doing my first card challenge ever.  The card can be any theme but must have a flower of some sort on the card front.  This is what I came up with.  Very simple with a flower I did as a make-n-take at the local scrapbook store.  Hope y'all like my card for this challenge......