New Nesties & Storage Idea

I bought myself two new sets of Nestabilities dies. I love these dies! I've also been fine-tuning some areas of my craft room and I decided to try out a new storage idea for these dies. I saw this idea on a message board post on the Splitcoaststampers web site. By using really inexpensive magnetic tape I was able to make instant storage for all of my nesting dies. I applied the tape to the inside door of a craft cabinet that stands near my desk. I bought the tape from Michael's using a coupon for only $2.50. Now the dies are stored out of the way, but still within my quick reach.

Inspire Me

Well, what I really wanted to do today is clear out the clutter by removing the tree and decorations, but I decided to wait. In years past I always waited until New Year's to remove the tree but, this year, I don't know if it will make it that long. To keep busy, I decided instead to concentrate on my "inspiration basket." I got this idea a few months back from a fellow blogger and it really worked great this holiday season. I collected everything I purchased, plus some things I had on hand that would work for my holiday decorations, tags, gift packages, etc., and kept them in this basket on my desk. As I needed supplies or inspiration I would pull from this basket instead of looking through everything I owned. It was a great time saver. Now I'm going to spend a few minutes putting away the Christmas theme and bringing out some Valentines goodies. I'll be ready for the next holiday which is right around the corner.

Awaiting Santa's Arrival

The tree is lit and the cookies are ready....all we need now is Santa! Goodnight girls, sleep tight! Merry Christmas everyone!

Quickie Cards

I looked at my growing list of thank you cards to send out and decided I'd better get a jump start. Last night I came up with an easy design using a new Martha Stewart punch I bought at Michael's. I also used papers and ribbon I already had on hand. These 10 cards came together really quickly.

Doggy Gifts

I have a few last-minute gifts for some doggy friends of mine. I made this quick gift package yesterday for my friend's new puppy. I found this really cute dog necklace [made of faux pearls] at a craft sale and thought I would package it in an ornament-type holder for the tree. I used a bone-shaped template, some scrapbook paper and my sewing machine to sew it up while attaching a ribbon for the tree. Next, I added the dog's name, "Sam" short for "Samantha" and also included some doggy gingerbread treats. It was a fun project.

Christmas Concert & More

Whew! What a busy week at school with Christmas concerts, crafts and parties. We are now settling in on our first day off for Christmas vacation and I've got lots of plans. I wanted to share a few pictures of some things I've been working on but first, I must show you how my daughter, Abby, looked in her snowman shirt. The girls wore the red-hatted snowmen and the boys wore the black-hatted snowmen. They all looked so cute and the concert was really good! Next, I've been bagging "Butterkrunch Popcorn" to give out to friends and neighbors. We always exchange treats with our neighbors at Christmas time. Some friends do the same yummy treats every year, but I always end up doing something new. [Thanks for the awesome recipe Katie!] Also this year I decided to make some felt gift tags. I love working with felt. It is so forgiving and adds a special charm to my packages. This gift is going to a special friend. Only 3 days left until the big day!

First Grade Christmas Treats

We went to Michael's yesterday and I saw these really cute ornaments already painted and ready to go. My original idea for Christmas treats for my daughter's first grade class didn't work because I couldn't find a particular gummy candy that I needed to use. So, when I saw these, I thought they would be perfect...the Santas and penguins were our favorites. I spent a little bit of time today personalizing each ornament as well as dating the back of each one too. Next, I slipped it into a cellophane bag with some peppermint candies and added a bag topper and Christmas sticker. I love these round stickers I found at Michael's also. All 17 bags came together in an hour. I can't wait for Abby to pass them out to her friends. Merry Christmas!

Ornament Packaging

I bought some inexpensive (but pretty) silver snowflake ornaments to give to a few friends this year. I have admired these ornaments for a while now [and would like a collection of my very own]. They are so simple, but so pretty at the same time. I couldn't decide how to wrap them. I contemplated an organza drawstring bag, a cellophane wrapper of some kind, etc., but then this idea came to mind. It was easy to put together using my new Scor-Pal. Once I made the template I stamped three snowflakes on each and then coated each stamped image with glitter. Next, I hung the ornament using a new purple organza ribbon and then tied each package closed and attached a tag. I also thought about using vellum to cover the cut out window, but decided to keep it very simple. I hope they like it.

Tile Gift Bags

My Christmas craft project for 3rd grade is Santa handprint tiles. We did these on Saturday at the school festival, but most of the students in my daughter's class did not make one. The teachers loved the idea and there were extra supplies left, so there's no need to "design" something new. What I did design, however, is a gift bag, made of felt for the kids to use to take their tile home. It will also be a good, safe storage option for after Christmas. These were really simple to put together. They measure 15 1/2" by 6 3/4", leaving enough space for a flap to fold over which I used to attach a cut-out heart and Christmas button. They will stay closed with a velcro circle. I may use a few other color combinations for the next 25 I put together.

Take Home Pig

While I was at school yesterday my daughter's 3rd grade teacher asked me how to cover a pet box for their classroom pig. Each child in the class will get the chance to take home the pig for a weekend from now through the end of school. (The pig is the wind-up kind, not a live one.) She was very clever by going to Petco and getting one of their hamster/mouse boxes which made it a cinch to cover with decorative paper. (I offered to bring it home and cover it so she wouldn't have to worry about it.) After looking through my "stash" I didn't have anything pig-related, or even farm-related, so I settled on this really neat 12x12 paper that had a two-sided school bus on it. I first covered the box with black textured cardstock, then I applied a school bus to either side of the box. The pig's name is "Camo" so I put her name in the school bus windows. It was my daughter's idea to add "on the go" to the end of the box, which I thought was cute. Next I wanted to add some grommets and ribbon, but I reminded myself that I needed to keep it simple for the 15 sets of hands that will be touching the box throughout this school year. This was a simple, fast project....the best kind!

It's Come & Gone

Well, the BIG day finally arrived and now it's gone...whew! Our school's holiday festival was this past Saturday. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! It was a good day for the most part....we had a few minutes (literally about 3) of sprinkling rain, and that's it. Everyone who came had a good time and my girls both loved it....that was my main goal. I brought my new camera thinking I could leisurely walk around and snap pictures for my blog, but it didn't happen that way. However, I did manage to get this really cute shot of my daughter, Abby, with her face painted like a "blue fairy." She loved the event, especially the stuffed animal adoption booth.