Happy New Year (Chinese)

I always make a chinese new year card for my niece that was adopted from China. It will be the year of the Dragon on January 23rd. I used the Pagoda cartridge and a pagoda embossing folder.

more graduation pages

graduation scrapbook pages

It felt really good to get back to scrappin pictures this week. I did 4 2 page layouts. A couple of the pages need a little this or that but for the most part they are done. I have to say that after looking at the cricut magazine I have a very simple style that is picture heavy. I look at most of the layouts in the magazine and I feel its about the cricut art and the pictures are lost.. So here are two of my simple pages.

hope to have pictures tomorrow

I have been scrappin.. I haven't worked on layouts in months. This week I put together the pieces to assemble 4 2-page layouts at scrapping tonight. (They may not all make it done) I was in a layout block and I finally decided its about the pictures and to stop worrying about everything being unique or this or that and just started putting it together. Made major headway on my daughters graduation album this week. Sometimes I spend too much time looking at blogs and not enough time just doing it!!!

simple guy b-day card

I really struggle with guy cards.. I made this simple guy card for the twins b-day on January 9th. They are the 2 brothers that are immediately older than me of my 4 brothers.

reindeer food

I have the good fortune of seeing my great nephew everyday. I go into his classroom to work with children that need extra help. I happen to know that at 5 he is super excited about Christmas this year so tonight I made him some reindeer food. I cut the bag on the Imagine using the Santa's Village cartridge. The reindeer was cut from create a critter on the Imagine with customs colors. I used stickles and google eyes.

Woot, woot..

It's finally winter break. 10 days with no school. I love my job but also love to be able to recharge my batteries. I cleaned off my craft table late this afternoon. Time to get back scrapping! I found this flower that my son had made one afternoon playing with my Imagine so I made it up into a card. The sentiment is a little crooked but that's okay. Its an original.

My space is clear and hope to spend some quality time in here after Christmas. Tomorrow is family gift exchange in the afternoon, dinner with my mom, church, more family gift exchange then home to prepare my sticky buns for Christmas morning ( a tradition for so many years I can't count. They bake while we open gifts on Christmas morning.) Christmas day we will eat mid-day then my kiddies are off to see their dad and Nanny.

A friend today told me about the spectrum noir markers. I looked them up. Very interesting and the pricing is amazing.. Here's hoping I get some Christmas cash so I can purchase a few and actually compare them to my very expensive copics whose price is going up, sniff, sniff!

non craft post

I just had to post that my son that has been laid off for sometime got a WONDERFUL job offer today making more money than he made in NYC with great benefits. He is such a kind soul and my heart has ached for him while he has been looking for 2 years. He worked so hard to get his MBA at 23 and this has been breaking my heart. Hugs to him. I have had my Christmas... in the last month. My daughter got a nursing job and now this.. WOW a great ending to a year that has been filled with lots of sadness losing so many people I know.

On the baking front I make toffee bars last night and mixed the cream cheese cookies that go in the freezer. Tonight I made spiced pecans, oatmeal lace cookies and coconut macaroons dipped half way in milk chocolate. Tomorrow when my daughter is off it is the butter cookies with the press. ( She wants to sprinkle them) Still need to roll the cream cheese cookie logs I froze in green and red sugar slice and bake. Probably Thursday night for that. Oh and tonight I printed more labels with the imagine to cover nuggets to toss around the cookie trays.

Probably be MIA at least a week

I am pretty sure there will be no post between now and Christmas but I might get lucky. Coming off not feeling well since Monday. Horse voice, sore throat and congested.... I did a major SAMS run tonight. Tomorrow party, Saturday memorial for my Father in law (Yes I have been divorced 12 years but I was married for 20 and they have always been generous to me.. They have actually supported my cricut habit over the years with their generous Christmas gifts funding my first cricut expression and then it just rolled from there) Saturday night party, Sunday Christmas show at the local theatre with my mother and then next week Monday 3rd meal at my church for the needy and the rest of the week will be devoted to trying to make some Christmas cookies. Busy times but I feel blessed to have the opportunity to have them. So thankful that my daughter started her new job at a local hospital. She worked so hard for her BSN and I am grateful for the opportunity for her to use her degree.

sympathy card

I finally got some solid hours in my scrap room and made 6 of this card tonight. I used the Pagoda cart and the pagoda embossing folders. The stamp was my pink stamper.. lots of layers and the bamboo was a pain to layer at the size I cut it.. LOL!

busy, busy

Busy, busy with holiday things. I did manage to finish up all the not done things in my craft room. Yeah! I added glitter to my elf cocoa things I printed on the Imagine. I used ultra fine MS glitter. To write the names I used a fine point glue pen to adhere the glitter.

Christmas cards ready to go!!

I think I counted 63 Christmas cards when I finished... It was fun opening the box of the cards I made all year to get them ready.. Some I had forgotten I made.. LOL. Dropping them at the post office today.

B-day card

My friend is turning 50 this week and having a big party on Thursday night. These are not the colors I was looking for but as I thumbed through paper stacks these colors jumped out. I used Martha Stewart pattern and coordinating paper. Papertrey ink card base. The 50th was cut with black letter, the happy from I think the pop-up card cart and I can't remember where I found the swirls on the gypsy.

Holiday season is here!

Thursday Barnes & Noble night for my school. Friday out with friends. Saturday WW meeting, hair highlights and cut for the holidays and Toys for Tots Party. Sunday Day trip with my brother, SIL and mom to Cape May.. My brother is really good with the day trips for my mom. My kids and I do all the day to day things to help, doc appointments, groceries, trash out etc.. but my brother Mike thinks of the special things. I am making a New Years resolution after today to stop and smell the roses more.. There are so many free day trips in my area and I never take advantage. I am homebody at heart but when I take these day trips and I see all the people I think why do I hide in my house so much.. fun day. My mom worked in Cape May pre and during WW 2 at a hotel that is still there and operating today. She loves it there. At 90 she needs to see and enjoy things more. My mom, Sil and brother are in the pictures. I am the picture taker..as usual.. :-)