HAPPY 2021

 Happy New Year 2021!!  

With the turning of the calendar page, some things change and some things stay the same.  Of course, that's really true every time the calendar shifts.  One simple truth that I have been reminded of again and again in the past 10 months is that we always have a choice.  We can choose to focus on what we don't have OR on what we do have.  We can choose to focus on the positive things that are happening around us or on the negative things.  We can choose to contribute or choose to take.  We can choose to encourage and build up OR we can choose to tear down.  2020 was not the year any of us wanted.  And on January, 2021, not much has changed yet in terms of our circumstances.  But we still have a choice.  Hopefully you will choose to be a positive, kind, encouraging, compassionate, hopeful, helpful force in our neighborhood, in our community and throughout our nation and world.

I had a very nice (and quiet) Christmas this year.  We drove to Silver Spring (MD) on December 20 in time to wish Ashley a happy birthday (Dec 22).  Shortly after getting there, their governor shut down all in-door dining at restaurants so most of our meals were had at home.  In order to see the football game that wasn't broadcast locally, we had to go to Arlington, VA to a really nice Irish bar who advertised that they were a Steeler bar.  It was fun - especially when we won!  It was not looking so good during the first half but they bounced back second half.  We drove through the Morman Church

 We drove back home Dec. 29 and I have been working on taking down my Christmas decorations - such a chore every year!  I think this year though I am going to put a bag on the tree - ornaments and all - and store it in the garage!  Our tree is a pencil slim one so it shouldn't be a problem!  I'll let you know how it goes!

 Here are a few photos from our trip.

Ashley's co-workers decorated her office on her birthday!

Ashley enjoying her Christmas present (gas fire pit)  a few day early!  Cooking sausages and smores!

One night we drove through the Mormon Church Festival of lights.  They had 400,000 lights on the temple grounds!  Because of COVID, you couldn't get out of your car to view the lights but they were impressive from the car!   We can see the Mormon Church spires from Ashley's backyard!  I can't wait until we will be able to tour the temple.

Christmas morning - opening stocking!

Christmas Village on either side of the mantle and on top of the mantel!

These shelves are perfect for the Dept. 56 Christmas village!

Steelers!

My great niece, Abigail.  That expression of wonder tells it all!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Mine has been great so far.

 Bogart was looking for Santa😁

Christmas morning ....before

Hoping your Holidays were Good!

Hi friends!  I hope you have been enjoying the Holiday celebrations that this time of year brings.  I have been neglecting my blog but enjoying some nice relaxing time with my family.  I decided to  not worry about my blog  so I could enjoy Christmas and not stress out too much!  I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful time with your family and friends.  I did and am so thankful.

We went to Virginia / DC the week before Christmas to pick Ashley up after she had completed her course and took my mom.  We all had a good time.  We stopped at Monticello on our way to Ft Belvoir to tour Thomas Jefferson's home.  We visited DC taking the Metro and seeing the Christmas tree outside the White House.  It was really, really cold!!!!  We also went to the National Harbor and rode on the (climate controlled) ferris wheel.  I don't usually ride things that take me up in the air, but decided to be a sport.  It was really a lot of fun.  The view from the top was spectacular and it was a beautiful (cold) clear day.

National Harbor Christmas tree and Ferris Wheel

Selfie of Ashley and I at White House Christmas Tree

At Ashley's graduation ceremony - Ft Belvoir

The after-math of Christmas - Bogart is tired out!

Thanks for stopping by.  If you haven't already, stop by the Online Store and take a look at the year-end close outs.  There are a lot of good items as much as 80% off.

And beginning January 6, you can order from the New Spring Occasions Catalog and take advantage of the Sale-a-Bration Catalog.    During Sale-a--Bration, you can choose from a selection of great products FREE with every $50 you spend.   The Spring Catalog and SaleABration Catalog has already begun arriving in homes.  Let me know if you would like a copy.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

As of now, All Is Calm!!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even the CATS

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Ashley and the cats are nestled all snug in the bed

While visions of sugar plums (or clothes, books, gift certificates, etc. etc. etc.) dance in her head.

Mamma in her nightie and Sonny in his flannel 

Had just settled down for a long winter's night (with cats laying on our feet!)

Hope all is calm at your house and you enjoy a wonderful Christmas!

Part of my mantle decorations.  My son made the wood Mary, Joseph and Jesus piece for us last year.

Ashley and I in front of tree - Christmas Eve

Sonny and Ashley

Trying to steal a kiss!  No mistletoe in sight though.

Looks like Santa has filled these stockings!

My son and his family.  Missing them!!

Clearance and Weekly Deals Plus Christmas Trivia!

It's Tuesday and that means new Weekly Deals from Stampin' Up!  The Deals include one of my favorites - the Chalk Talk Framelits Die set.  Also, be sure to check out the YEAR END CLEARANCE items at my online store.  Items are only available while supplies last.





Here are some random Christmas facts that I got from someone!  Enjoy!

The Popular Poinsettia

Holiday Past
Poinsettias were first introduced into this country in 1828 by the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett.

Holiday Present
Poinsettias are now grown in all 50 states and represent over 85 percent of potted plant sales during the holidays. Over $220 million worth of poinsettias are sold during holiday season!

Kisses in Color

Holiday Past
Hershey's started wrapping their Kisses in red, green, and silver foil for the first time in 1962. The success of the holiday-wrapped Kisses led Hershey's to dress up their little chocolates for the Easter, Valentine's Day, and Fall Harvest seasons.

Holiday Present
Hershey's now wraps up to 1,300 Hershey's Kisses a minute. That gives them the capacity to make approximately 33 million Hershey's Kisses a day, or more than 12 billion a year!

A Tree of Lights

Holiday Past
In 1949, the tree at Rockefeller Center was strung with 7,500 bulbs.

Holiday Present
Now more than 25,000 bulbs are strung on the tree - that's more than 5 miles of lights!

Artificial Trees

Holiday Past
Artificial Christmas trees were on the market by 1900. They were available by mail from Sears, Roebuck and Company, and cost 50 cents for 33 limbs, or a dollar for 55 limbs.

Holiday Present
Most artificial trees are now manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong and contain non-biodegradable plastics and metals. They usually range in price from $200 to $2,000.

Holiday Mail

Holiday Past
The first Christmas card, created by a London businessman, was printed in England in 1843. Three years later, the first commercial Christmas cards were available to the public. One thousand cards in all were produced and they were an instant success.

Holiday Present
The holiday season is now the busiest time of the year for the US Postal Service. Last year, over 20 billion cards, letters, and packages were sent, causing the USPS to hire nearly 40,000 temporary workers and put thousands of additional trucks, trains, and planes in service.

Snowman Gift Card Holder

I don't know why I don't do my Christmas cards, gift cards, hand made gifts, calendars, etc. earlier each year.  Instead I find myself trying to juggle it all to get everything done in time!  This week I have something going on almost every day - bridge on Monday, Stamp Club Tuesday and neighborhood Bunco Tuesday night, massage (yay!!) Wednesday, Southern Living Luncheon Thursday night and a trip to Concord Thursday night!  Whew!  I'll get it all done - I always do but I am wearing myself out!!  Not sure when I will be doing my Christmas shopping!!   Gift certificates sound good to me along with a little on-line shopping!!

I made this gift card holder a while ago and can't even remember how I made it.  I saw it on Pinterest and followed the trail for the directions.  But do you think I can find it now????  Nope!

It's easy to figure out though.  The snowman is punch art using Circle Punches for the snowman.  The gift card holder was made with the Envelope Punch Board.

We have been really surprised that Bogart (Ashley's cat) has left our Christmas tree alone!  He hasn't tried to climb up it once.  Guess he's more afraid of Sonny and I than Ashley!  She will be here in a couple of weeks.  We'll see if he minds her then.  We're entering our final few weeks with our visiting cat.  I know Sonny is really going to miss him although he sure won't admit it.

Gift Bow Christmas Creation

It's time to create all of those cute Christmas projects you need to make - time is starting to run out!   Be sure to add these three projects to your list.  All three are made using the Gift Box Bigz L Die.  The cute snowman makes a great decoration for any room; the angel ornament is perfect for any tree; and everyone would love to get a treat in this cute Santa box!  These projects can be made quickly, so you can make them for all of your friends and family.  Don't forget to make one for yourself, too!!




Isn't this a fun and festive ensemble?  This project, designed by Christy Fulk, is the November Bonus project a Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy .... just subscribe to two or more months in a row; put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog OR refer a friend to the site. When you friend subscribes, just let us know!

New Photopolymer Christmas Stamp

We had a great trip but as always, it's good to be back home and sleep in my own bed!  We left home Wednesday morning and drove to Ft. Belvoir to pick up Ashley for our drive to Pittsburgh on Thursday.  Thursday started out a little rough - Ashley was supposed to meet up with her classmates to go to the State Department.  She thought they were meeting at 6:30 but turns out, they were meeting at 5:30 a.m.!  Sonny got up and took her to the Metro and as it turns out, she arrived before anyone else!  After she finished up for the day, we hit the road for Pittsburgh arriving there about 6:30 - just in time to find a parking spot downtown and a short walk to the Consol Energy Center to watch the Penguins for the first hockey have of the season.  It was a great one - high scoring.  The final score was 6-4 with the Pens winning.

I didn't get the message that we were supposed to be looking to our right!

Final score - 6-4 PENS!

This was a cool mosaic of Mario Lemieux (former player and now owner of Penguins) of a collections of photographs that have been pieced together.

The Pittsburgh PENGUINS!

No Neck Sharon!!

Stampin' Up has released a beautiful Christmas stamp - as seen below.  Gentle Peace Photopolymer stamp was designed to work with the Blendabilties to create the stained glass look.  Just when I thought I didn't need any more Christmas stamps!  This image is just gorgeous!

Here is a LINK to the flier with details.





Here are the Tuesday specials for this week.  They will be available through next Monday.

Darling Doily Thinlits Die [133736] $24.95 $18.71	Decorative Window Gift Box [132146] $4.95 $3.71	Floral Frames Framelits Dies [127012] $26.95 $20.21	Mustache Framelits Die [133741] $7.95 $5.96
Perfect Print Numbers Bigz Die [133726] $24.95 $18.71	Spooky Treats Designer Template - Digital Download [127588] $12.95 $7.77	Tiny Triangles Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [133740] $7.95 $5.96	Truly Grateful Wood-Mount Stamp Set [131730] $27.95 $20.96

Fall Quarterly

I had a great ... and busy weekend.  Marianne came over Friday after work and we loaded our things into her car and headed to Newton for Quarterly.  We worked on 25 Shoebox Cards and actually got them all finished before midnight!!  Since Newton is only about a 30 minute drive for me, we went home and slept in our own beds (well, technically Marianne slept in my guest bed!) and got up the next morning to head back to Quarterly for more fun.  We did a Card Swap and a Gift Card Swap and got some great cards.

This is the Gift Card that I made using the MDS version of the coffee cup from Perfect Blend (I shared the card swap in a previous post HERE).

We also had a contest that was optional.  I decided to participate in all four challenges.  We were to make a 3D Ornament, a Christmas card, an "Any Occasion" card and an "oldie but goodie" using a favorite retired stamp.  I was happy when my Ornament below won 1st Prize!!  I used the stamp set and framelits from Bright and Beautiful.  There are two pieces of chipboard in between the front and back of the ornament.

Back of Ornament

Front of Ornament 

Christmas Card using Bright and Beautiful bundle

For the Christmas card above, I embossed the tags and the stars with Gold, Cherry Cobbler and White Embossing Powder.  I used a piece of DSP from the Newsprint and layered a piece of Vellum over the top to soften it.  All the stars are popped up with dimensionals.

Marianne's Christmas Card won 1st place!!

Marianne's card - Get Your Santa On from Holiday Catalog

My All Occasion card

 The card above was fun to make and a new technique that I stumbled across on Friday morning.  I adhered the Dots Decorative Mask (page 205 in catalog - a deal for $2.95!) with Repositional Tape on top of a piece of Crumb Cake card stock.  Next using a dauber, I sponged White Craft Ink over all the dots.  I removed the Dots Mask and cleaned it.  Next I replaced the Dots Mask on top again - just moving it to the side and up a little bit and (with a dauber) sponged Wisteria Wonder, Coastal Cabana, and Melon Mambo ink on top of the White Ink.  It makes a cool background!  The cupcake is from Cupcake Party stamp set and I used the Cupcake Punch.  I stamped the sentiment from Remembering Your Birthday on Vellum with White Ink and embossed it in white before adhering it to the card.

Blast from the Past - Oldie but Goodie

This set is one of my first Stampin' Up sets almost 10 years ago - Garden Collage.  I still love it!

Sunday night Sonny and I went to the Panther - Steeler game and had a great time!  I will share a few pictures of that tomorrow.