Santa's On His Way

Well folks, it happened. Here in Milwaukee we saw our first snowflakes of the year today. Ugh. It is only mid-November. While I'm not a big fan of snow, it is pretty unavoidable around these parts so it only seems fitting to embrace it and post my first Christmas cards for this holiday season. Yeah, that's right, be in denial if you would like but the big man is on his way!

I spent what little free time I had this weekend crafting cards for my November card class. Each card design would normally take me one-two hours each but with an active 8 month old (and a sassy 5 year old), each card takes an eternity. Of course, I keep doing it because I love it....it just takes a bit longer these days!

This first card is perfect for all you out there just as busy as myself. This card takes 5 minutes flat to make and shows of your favorite photo at the same time. I. Love. It. Just glue your favorite 4x6 photo onto card stock and BAM you got yourself a card!

The joy sentiments is from PTI's One Liners die collection. You could also choose the words peace or love. Hey, go crazy, and use all three. I cut it from some sparkly red card stock to make it extra festive.

I made this one as a postcard but it can easily be made into an A2 card if that is more your thing. Either way, everyone will love your holiday card that took you no time to make.

This pretty poinsettia card pairs my favorite holiday colors together: red, white, and grey. A pretty little jewel finishes the flower. Don't stress the Doily die, I just left all the negative pieces on and it still looks great, feel free to punch them out if your are obsessive!

I'm so happy bakery's twine is still trendy....it is a staple in my craft room.

Oh, and my favorite card, Merry & Bright. So simple but so fantastically festive.

I am going to be using this confetti garland die from PTI over and over again this holiday season.

This peace and love card takes advantage of the ever so popular chevron pattern. The two tone green really makes a subtle pop and lays the foundation for a classic card.

I used gold embossing powder on the acorns to give this card even more wow.

And last (but not least), this collage card is cute, cute, cute. I love the colors! This is digital paper that I bought on Etsy. I have plans to use this for a holiday candy recipe book (someday when the kids are out of my house) but in the mean time it is being used in this lovely card.

Well, that's all for now. I'm exhausted and Christmas is still a good six weeks away!

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Halloween 2013

Well another Halloween has come and gone.  I'd say it was another successful year with making the boys' costumes, although I wasn't sure about that until the day of treat or treating.  This second baby is kicking.my.butt.  I have zero free time and my "to do" list is a mile long.  As I check one item off, two more get added.  I wasn't sure I would have time to pull these costumes off before treat day.

Since last Halloween, Johnathan has been wanting to go as a ninja.  I really wasn't too keen on that idea.  I had no idea how I was going to make a "home made" ninja, and after all, his Halloween costume is all about me and what I can make and not what he wants to be....silly silly boy.  Each month, Johnathan would remind me how he wanted to be a ninja, and each month that went by I kept waiting for him to change his mind.  He never did.  Luckily though, he morphed a little, he went from wanting to be a ninja to wanting to be a ninjago (Lego ninja for those of you not into 5 year old boy cartoons).  Ninjago, now we're talking, I can work with a Lego ninja.     

So with a little help from my good friend pinterest, I cut myself a box and spray painted it bright red.  I traced a picture of the dragon onto the box and painted it with gold paint.  Finding the dragon image was the most difficult part of this whole project.  I used this dragon coloring page and had my hubby blow it up to the size I needed (don't ask me how, as I see it, this is one of my few benefits of being married, free tech support).  I free hand drew the eye on to the head with black paint.  Isn't this the cutest scariest (TOOTHLESS!!!!) dragon you have ever seen?  Oops, I forgot the teeth!  Luckily he never said one peep about his toothless dragon, he was too busy being a ninja (with his cute little dinosaur treat bag), even ninja's have mommies.

 

Oh and cute little Robbie.  Don't you just want to squeeze him?  I wasn't very excited about making a costume for him, I'm not sure why.  Maybe it was the work?  I mean, all this work to make a costume and the kid isn't even going to get me any candy.  What a waste.  But then, I thought of the most perfect little costume for my little pumpkin, a little gnome with a little red gnome hat.  Sometimes, (just sometimes) the picture I have in my little brain of my craft project turns out just like I imagined it in my brain, this was the ONE time.

 

Oh my goodness.  Look at that glare.  He glared like this the whole day.  I don't think he was as trilled about his costume as I was.  Someday when he is older I picture him finding this picture of himself and going, "oh yeah, I remember this day, this is the day I started to hate you".  Oh my little Robbie, certainly I hope that isn't true.  His costume was all about re-using and re-purposing. I didn't want to spend a single second making anything for him that I couldn't later use.  Therefore, everything had a dual purpose.  I made the hat and beard and the rest of his outfit was already in his dresser drawers.    His "beard" is also a bib (because we can always use more bibs).  I sewed it using the pattern I found over on Bit-O-Me.  It took about two hours to make.  If I wouldn't  have had an argument with my sewing machine, it probably only would have taken about an hour.  

Ericka: 0 Sewing Machine: 1 

I recovered a bit from the bib argument with my sewing machine because the hat (with the help of this tutorial over at Acorn Pies) took me 10 minutes flat.  NO JOKE!  It probably helped that it only had ONE SEW LINE.

Ericka: 1  Sewing Machine: 1

The kid's were not the only ones that had fun this year.  For the first time ever, my hubby and I dressed up as well.  Him as Drew Carey (natural) and me as Megan (Melissa McCarthy) from Bridesmaid's.  We had a lot of fun. He kept telling everyone he was "fat Drew Carey", I really think he should have said, "cute Drew Carey" (and no, I'm not kissing up, he doesn't read my blog).  I know I'm right, my hubby keeps getting cuter and cuter with age.  We just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this week.  I love you honey (just in case he does read this)!

Now that Halloween is behind us and the weather is cooler, my focus has turned back to stamping and creating cards.  Oh how I have missed thee.  I'll be back later with a look at some holiday cards I'll be offering this year.  See you soon!