Now that our shift is into the Christmas-mode, on Nov. 24th, Saturday, "Shop Small Business Day" and show your support!
CHRISTMAS CRACKER! Video tutorial and pdf handout newsletter project will only be available for one week: Dec. 20th thru 27th 2012. I've added to my blog for any of you who are fashionably-late. This Christmas Cracker which can be filled with candies or small gift items was created from, yes you guessed it, a toilet paper roll. Of course, I've often saved and used my paper towel "rolls" as well and just cut them to my desired size. Simply alter the colors of the cracker and you have a cracker for your New Year's or birthday celebrations! Download the pdf print handout here. Watch Video's Part 1 and 2 below! :0)
PASS THE STAMP! A 4 card video using just one stamp image from Hero Arts Stamps, however, a great idea for using stamps from your collection too!
Magnolia Rouge, imagery to inspire from Ruby and Willow Design Studio has a "mint inspiration that's paired with rich copper shades which is simply divine. Find out more...
My Memories Suite 4 ... "coming soon!"
Hi everyone! In just a few short days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving here in the United States. I always look forward to that day and spending time with our loved ones. Of course, the food is pretty enticing too! I hope that wherever you are spending your holiday that it is filled with many blessings!
I have to say, I was so excited when I received my "leaf" cookie cutters in the mail that I had to show them to you - for the prices, they are a great value and are well crafted! Now that I just got my new stove/oven delivered today, I'm all set this week to start making cookies, baking some pies, the turkey and stuff!
I have some great ideas for gifting and creating this week. Be sure to head all the way down to the bottom of the newsletter and pick up the freebie downloads, too!
I have some great ideas for gifting and creating this week. Be sure to head all the way down to the bottom of the newsletter and pick up the freebie downloads, too!
Show someone you care with this meaningful wall home decor. You won't believe how easy it is to create "I Appreciate U" Wall Decor. If your home needs a refreshing pick-me-up and change in scenery, try these 19 Cool Wall Art and Decor Ideas, great for any room in the house. This guide includes ideas for home decor wall art and outdoor wall decor, as well as vintage and modern bathroom wall decor ideas to liven your wall decor and home accents. It also includes projects for peel and stick wall decorations if you are looking for a temporary change but don't want to make a full commitment to a new design. And the kids can get involved too, with easy kids wall stickers decorations, perfect for livening up their rooms too.
Congratulations! After years of training and countless solicitations of the magic word, your kids' auto-reply is to say "thank you." Now, if you can get them to mean it. Thankfulness ranks up there with character, integrity, self-control, and shared values in a family. Fostering a thankful attitude is an important responsibility for parents: If your child doesn't absorb the value of thankfulness from you, who will it come from? Fun ideas put appreciation into action toward the absorption. And don't worry if your younger children aren't exactly lofty in counting their blessings. It's "a good start" if kids are thankful for things like toys, trinkets, or even old refrigerator box that they've turned into a clubhouse. As children grow, their thinking changes, and they're better able to recognize things of an abstract nature. At that point, they might value things such as community, warm home, or intelligence. So let the games begin.
"By promoting gratitude you're teaching
your children empathy and understanding."
your children empathy and understanding."
TALK TURKEY! What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Or in this case, gobbler. You'll find inspiration in the Christmas book The Elf on the Shelf and spawn a new tradition: hiding a toy elf every night for the kids (even adults) to find the next day. If you don't have a tiny toy turkey in the house, buy one at the dollar store and take turns hiding it in unexpected places - such as in the medicine cabinet. Each night attach a note of thanks. It'll surprise your family, stir anticipation, and remind everyone to be thankful.
Help yourself ... Hectic schedule making you crazy? Try volunteering. In a surprising University of Pennsylvania's study, people who spent precious minutes on a charitable cause felt they had more time to themselves at the end of the day than those who performed a nonaltuistic task. The researchers say that squeezing in a good deed makes people feel good and creates a sense of usefulness, which can put other time demands in perspective. Visit volunteermatch.org to find out how you can lend a hand in your community!
Crafting With Class: Got Pie? Karli Miranda has a lattice top apple pie baked right out of the SVG ovens at svgcuts.com's Fall Harvest SVG Kit! 
A quick Christmas card at Tuesday T T Impression Obsession! This is really a lot easier than you think it would be to create, and it uses up leftover pieces of white (or other colors) cardstock. Plus it makes good use of some of your paper punches that you've collected! Oh so pretty when finshed!
Stamp Owl Studio created this Christmas stocking tag using Die-namics Jumbo Christmas Stocking as the base to this tag and Sweet Tooth Felt for the white piece of the stocking. It's embellished with the Die-namics Jumbo Snowflake which three dies are cut, 2 trimmed down in varying sizes, from glitter paper to create the gorgeous snoflake! I'm thinking, if stockings were layered together it would make a great "gift card" envelope to hang on the tree, or place atop a gift.
A sweet mini scrapbooking album, Puppy Love, is a gift-album that any dog lovin' two-legger would cherish! I have cats, and sometimes they know they're in-the-dog-house because of their antics! Wouldn't this be a great album to give when you "gift" that new puppy? Makes me wanta ask Santa for a puppy this year, however, I have someone in mind who would love getting this album! And yes, I had to order the stamp set! Read and see more... 
Bare walls are so boring! Nothing brightens up a room like some homemade decor crafts and there are so many options for you to try. Think outside the box and add fabric to a canvas, create a cool clock or use paint chips to create a cool mosaic. Feel free to experiment and try something new with your wall decor projects.Don't forget that wall decor crafts make great housewarming and holiday gifts! Show off your creativity and make something that is sure to become a conversation piece! Plates On Display! Arrange plates on the wall without visible hangers using these adhesive-back disks with built-in loops. They are available in different sizes, the hangers can be easily applied to (and removed from) the back of any plate using water. Starting at $1.99 each; Hobby Lobby Online Store 3-inch Disc Plate Hanger and 4-inch Disc Plate Hanger.
Read more at
Tool Belt! It may not be Dad's-time-of-the-year right now, but, we still have birthdays to add to our holidaytime list. This card is one that's for a true guy's guy - loves machines, tractors-trucks-cars, tinkering with and building stuff. This tool belt card is also something to think-ahead about for Father's Day!
1. To size this pattern, in your printer program select "legal size" paper for printing. Take two 110lb. weight cardstock pieces and butt one end to-another and apply some packing tape over the pieces to attach. Measure and cut this cardstock piece to 11-inches long. Well-la! You've just created a legal size paper to print on. When printing, be sure that the taped side doesn't get printed on; this will make a very nice reindeer size "pattern" and the size I used to create my samples shown. Print and cut each piece out to use as a template. Be sure to be accurate on your cutting and I suggest using an Xacto knife and #11-blade. In doing so, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches in creating a "balanced" finished piece. 2. I used thick cardboard to trace my templates on for each reindeer piece. Using Mod Podge, I quickly and lightly applied the glue to one side of each piece and quickly positioned it onto the 12 x 12 scrapbook paper: allow to dry overnight flat, with a stack of books on top to make sure the page remains flat; when dry trim around each piece using an Xacto knife making sure to also cutout "slots," and do that same application to the other side using the unused paper portion. One 12 x 12 sheet is needed for each reindeer. Again, trim around each piece using an Xacto knife. Match same pattern pieces to one another for each reindeer to make sure both line-up with one another for accurate balance; cut and trim where necessary. Attach pieces where you've cutout slots.
Still not finished! New photo's at the end of the week
will show "aged look" and added enbellishments!
November 14th 2012 was National Pickle Day and Abby Glossenberg created a free pattern for the German legendary Christmas pickle ornament. The pattern is a free PDF and is very quick and easy to make; just 3 pattern pieces (of felt fabric), and a bunch of French Knots (or seed beads)! Read more... Here's the pickle “legend” from one Web site: “A very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.” This Christmas pickle story, with a few minor variations, can be found all over the Web and in print inside the ornament package. It says that Germans hang a pickle-shaped glass ornament on the Christmas tree hidden away so it's difficult to find. The first child to find it on Christmas morning gets a special treat or an extra present.
