December again!

Hello everyone!

I wish I could catch this moment and keep it forever: looking at our decorated Christmas tree, listening to Christmas carols, with James right beside me. 

It's been the coldest night in a long time. When James came home, he asked me to go with him on the porch, because, as he said, he couldn't help but buy something. I went outside and jumped for joy: a Christmas tree! 

I used to think that getting a Christmas tree too early would spoil "the magic", but now all I can think of is that we get to enjoy it longer. Now...if only we had some snow here is southern Texas :-) 

Caught in the Christmas lights and smell of Douglas fir, I forgot to ask how your Thanksgiving went! {For you who didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, how was your weekend?}. 

Ours was good. My in-laws have a "traditional" Thanksgiving table cloth that has been around for many years. The guests write on it with a marker what they are thankful for. And who is not thankful for their partners at Thanksgiving? That's why James tried very hard to strategically hide some of the "thankful" messages from the past. It's so funny that no one thought of starting off a new Thanksgiving table cloth, since every one of James' siblings has at least a couple of messages they'd rather not remember, especially with their spouses next to them! :-)

I am officially now in the third trimester. I was thinking that I'd better be, so the pain in my feet and back would be justified. Since I always need to have something to worry about, I was worrying that our little baby isn't moving as much as he should. Fortunately, our midwife paid us a visit yesterday and she calmed my fears. Everything looks normal. We listened to our baby's heart beat again and when we talked to him, his heart beat increased in a second from 130 to 150! I think this means he was excited to hear our voices! 

I thought I'd share another Christmas card with you!

Recipe for {Holiday Wishes} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss};

~ Paper: Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Stamps: PTI {Peaceful Poinsettia};

~ Ink: PTI {Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel}, Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Martha Steward glitter;

~ Buttons: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Spring Moss};

~ sticky tape;

I am looking forward to the "mini craft fair" at the coffee shop on Friday. I still have to catch up some things until then. I will probably have no time to take on challenges this week, but I'm going to post different things that I am preparing: paper Christmas trees, greeting card boxes...:-) 

I cannot believe it's December again! 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Embellish Magazine {Color Challenge with Brads}

Hello everyone! 

What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the sky is perfectly blue...at the end of November! I secretly wish it was cold and chilly and snowy. :-) Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to spending time with our family tomorrow and the turkey will taste as good, rain or shine. :-) 

I wanted to take advantage of the little free time before I start some cooking to post a card for Embellish Magazine {Color Challenge with Brads}. The strong colors intimidated me at the beginning, but I found the cutest flocked brads at a discount and that encouraged me to give it a try. 

Recipe for {Peace, Love & Joy}  5 1/4 x 5 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Red Poppy, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: PTI {Moulin Rouge}, Stampabilities' {Christmas Green};

~ Brads: Paper Studio Flocked Brads;

~ Ribbon: PTI {Enchanted Evening}.

I wish I had a Thanksgiving card for today, but anyway, I want to wish you all a 

HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #19

Hello again everyone!

I didn't manage to post anything over the weekend. But I did see that Dawn McVey posted another Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. 5 colors? That spells challenge to me, definitely. What do you do with 5 colors? Do you pick one or two as main colors and then use "splashes" of the other ones? I would be curious what your "strategy" is.  

Since I felt "challenged", I ended up with two cards. I asked James to pick one. Tricky situation, because he would have had to actually say that he likes one card more than another. He! :-)

Since we had different "favorite", I'll post them both. 

 

Recipe for {Noel} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Light Aqua, Raspberry Fizz, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate};

~ Stamps: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Clear Embossing Powder;

~ Sticko epoxy stickers;

~ button from Nana's Vintage Collection.

Recipe for {Magic of Christmas} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Light Aqua, Raspberry Fizz, Lavender Moon, Dark Chocolate};

~ Stamps: PTI {Trio Tree Trimmings};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown};

~ Ribbon: PTI {Raspberry Fizz};

~ Clear Embossing Powder;

~ Sticko epoxy stickers;

~ button from Nana's Vintage Collection.

So, how are your last days before Thanksgiving? Are you traveling? Or having guests over? 

Thanks for stopping by!

  

Bits and Pieces

Hello everyone!

Today was administrative day. So seldom I am "excited" about dealing with papers, that I considered that I could make the sacrifice of not sitting at my crafting desk for a day in order to put these affairs in order. 

I had to transfer my health insurance over to another company and read all these ambiguous terms. I'm working at our baby registry. Honestly, putting together a baby registry is hard work (for me at least! :-) ). Although a few friends are always open to talk to me about what I need, it's hard to make the needs specific. :-) 

I just talked to my mother-in-law about the Thanksgiving menu. She got the impression from James that I would be willing to cook a turkey! What I remember is that I told James I'd love to make sure we have turkey at Thanksgiving and probably he figured out (a man of logic that he is) that the most sure way to have turkey is to make it myself :-) So, I'm on the list to make the turkey. It's definitely very tempting, but it's my first time, so please HELP me! Not to mention the impression on the mother-in-law. :-) 

I've been thinking today how my crafting world affected my real world. So, I've spent too much time in the crafting room when....

~ I cut buttons off my (or my husband's) clothes because they fit perfectly with the project;

~ I name colors after Papertrey Ink system ("it's a kind of raspberry fizz with a little bit of melon berry in it...") ;

~ I tell James I bought 10 stamps (postal stamps) and my husband makes big eyes (10??!!), because for him the word "stamps" means only one thing...

~ I buy a 500 dollars camera to photograph a 3 dollars card (well, more than one...:-) )

What is your "I've spent too much time in the crafting room..."? :-)  

What is your favorite Thanksgiving recipe? 

Thanks for stopping by! 

A {Thank You} Card

Hello everyone!

With a big cup of coffee (decaf! :) ) by my side, I'd like to share some sweet memories from this past weekend. 

My dearest friend Alyene and I met in Germany and we've been close friends since. She drove down to Victoria from Dallas, so we can go together to MercyMe concert on Friday and to the Romanian Fall Festival in Houston on Saturday. 

She had some surprises for me: birthday presents! It's wonderful to get birthday presents the month after! :-) I made a card for her and her parents, as a {Thank You}.  

This card has been inspired from quite a few places: the sketch is from {Everything but the Kitchen Sink}, the colors from {ColorQ} and some elements from this CARD from the ever talented Maile Belles. 

 

Recipe for {Thank You} card  5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: Paper Studio, PTI {Vintage Cream};

~ Stamps: PTI {Fall Elegance, Vintage Labels, Damask Designs - sentiment};

~ Ink: PTI {Orangerie, Ripe Avocado}, Stampabilities' {Brown}.

Now that I got the card out of the way :-), I'd like to go back and remember the MercyMe concert on last Friday night. Alyene ran into a serious traffic jam right outside of Fort Worth and we missed the band who opened the concert, but that was no big deal! We didn't have to wait that long for MercyMe then! :-) 

On Saturday we slept in, then we went and had breakfast at our favorite coffee shop, Longleaf Coffee. Then we took our coffees to go and hit the road for a two and a half our trip to Houston. 

We made it there right on time for the live folk Romanian music, not to mention the fresh Romanian food and the smell of the ongoing barbeque. James was excited that he could drink an original Romanian beer, that he got to appreciate on our trip to Romania this past summer.  

I was sad that I forgot to pack my new favorite house shoes for the car trip, the ones that I got from Alyene's mother, because they are the most comfortable shoes ever. I would go with them anywhere, if James wouldn't try to talk sense into me. I assort them with a beautiful necklace she made for me. :-)  

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

2s4y ~ Laura's Sketch #39

Hello everyone!

Here I am again, with another Christmas card. Based on a sketch by Laura at 2s4y. The paper is from the {Fa La La} Making Memories kit, which I got at an incredible price and trying to use it as much as I can.  

Recipe for {Merry Christmas} card  5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Spring Moss, Scarlet Jewel};

~ Paper: Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Stamps: PTI {Polka Dot Basics}, Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Ink: PTI {Burnt Sienna};

~ Buttons: PTI {Spring Moss, Scarlet Jewel}.

I can hardly imagine a Christmas card without Scarlet Jewel! 

Hope your week was to a good start. I spent my day yesterday trying to recover from the weekend! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday Trigger again!

Hello everyone!

It's Tuesday Trigger time again! I can't say I've been "inspired" by the picture, it was more of "analyzing it" and trying to incorporate different elements in my card: the pattern on the napkin, the overall vintage look, the shade of blue, the golden pumpkin...Here I am again with the same ol' same pumpkin stamps, the only ones that I have. :-) I was excited to find in my paper stash one that had fabric (in a kind of vintage cream) on one side! 

Recipe for {Thankful for you} card   51/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Fall Elegance};

~ Ink: Stampabilities' {Brown}, Making Memories {Gold};

~ Embossing Powder: PTI {Filigree Gold};

~ Rhinestones: KAISERscrapbook. 

I almot lost a stamp today. One of the little stems of the pumpkin from PTI' {Fall Elegance}. My heart went down the drain together with it, because this is the third little stamp I thought I lost in the sink while cleaning it. James came to my rescue! He opened the bottom of the pipe under the sink (sorry for not knowing the professional term for it :-) and saved my little stamp. I was SO happy! I couldn't have taken the thought of losing yet another one. He gave me a real savvy advice: to close the drainage while I clean stamps! :-) Why didn't I think of that?! 

One of my dearest friends, Alyene, is coming this weekend to visit me again. We have tickets to MercyMe concert on Friday night. On Saturday we're going to the Romanian Fall Festival in Houston. I can almost smell the traditional food and almost hear the ethnic Romanian music. I can't wait!  

I'll be gone from the blogging world over the weekend, but I'll return next week! 

Wishing you (in advance) a great weekend,

2s4y ~ Kazan's Sketch #39

Hello again!

I'm very thankful for my fellow bloggers, because this way I can discover more "challenging" challenges, like 2S4Y, hosted by Kazan Clark and Laura Davis. 

I'm afraid I'll shower you with Christmas cards from now on, because I'm getting ready for a sort of "craft fair". Cindy, the owner of coffee shop that sells my cards, is organizing a small fair with handmade items and I'm planning to have a Christmas cards stand. 

Here is the Kazan's sketch #39:

..and here is my Christmas card:

Recipe for {Peace, Love and Joy}

~ Cardstock: PTI {Vintage Cream};

~ Paper: Making Memories {Fa La La};

~ Stamp: PTI {Peaceful Poinsettia, Vintage Labels, Tree Trio Trimmings -sentiment};

~ Ink: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Ripe Avocado};

~ Ribbon: PTI {Scarlet Jewel}.

What are your favorite challenges to play? I discovered Moxi Fab World blog lately, I love playing with the challenges over there, I love Raspberry Suite Color Challenge, Sweet Sunday Sketch, Everything but the Kitchen Sink...and hoping to discover at least a few more :-) 

Thanks for stopping by!

This week's Tuesday Trigger

The inspiration for this week's Tuesday Trigger {Moxi Fab World} is a picture with such soft colors, with the perfect touch of light. Kimberly Crawford proved with a gorgeous card that neutral shades that really can stand out. Actually, I was inspired by her card, inspired by the picture :-) 

Recipe for {Blessings} card   5 1/4 x 4 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Kraft, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Fall Elegance};

~ Ink: Making Memories {Aged Copper, Pewter};

~ Ribbon: Ribbon FX;

~ Button: PTI {Spring Moss};

~ Embossing Powder: PTI {Gold Filigree};

~ Golden thread.

I'm again convinced that pumpkins do not have to be orange. Hope you enjoyed this card, also, and thanks for stopping by. 

 

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Challenge #2

It's time for another Everything but the Kitchen Challenge. Actually, today is the last day, so I am glad I could make it. I was very curious what the challenge would be this time. When I saw "toilet paper", I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The technique is called Paper Casting. I learned it from Meredith {Mere's Lair}, who got inspired from Label Tulip. 

Recipe for {Get well soon}

~ Cardstock: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Spring Moss, Melon Berry};

~ Paper: Toilet Paper;

~ Stamp: PTI {Damask Design, Tea for Two};

~ Ink: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Fresh Snow}, Stampabilities' {Plum};

~ Buttons: PTI {Scarlet Jewel}.

Hope you enjoyed my card and that you reconsidered the use of the humble toilet paper.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think! 

Clean and Simple Christmas Card

I love LOVE Clean and Simple Stamping Blog. I started following it more seriously and I should prove it by using one of the awesome sketches! 

I'm fascinated by "do-it-yourself" backgrounds that Papertreyink divas are so great at, so I'm going to try my hand more often at that. 

Recipe for {Merry Christmas} card 5 x 5 in

~ Cardstock: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Ocean Tide, Vintage Cream};

~ Stamp: PTI {Peaceful Poinsettia};

~ Ink: PTI {Scarlet Jewel, Ripe Avocado, Fresh Snow};

~ Ribbon: PTI {Scarlet Jewel};

~ Rhinestones: KAISERscrapbook. 

Hmm...too much Scarlet Jewel?? :-) 

Thanks for stopping by!