Busy, busy, busy...

...but today I can play in the craft room :)

Good morning, I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. It was fantastic here, although quite busy. I hosted the big meal this year, and with a 24 pound bird, it was a day full of cooking. It was DELICIOUS though, and it was wonderful spending time with my family. Not so wonderful: the next day full of dishes and cleaning. The day after: Andraia's 12th birthday!

She had a great day, starting out with a special surprise (although it is a little cruel, but what can I do? My brother had already sent them.) She received a flower bouquet from the one and only Justin Bieber (a.k.a. my brother. Andraia doesn't know this, and actually believes it somewhat!) She was a little confused as to how he was able to get her address, and when asked when she met him, she replied "I don't know!!!!!"

I'm sure you can't read the card...it says, "Andraia, when I met you girl my heart went knock knock, and now the butterflies in my stomach won't stop stop. Love, J. Biebs." Yeah, my brother is pretty hilarious. I took a video of the moment, and it's hard to see it, but she turns 8 shades of red and starts shaking when asked to read the card out loud :) It was adorable!!

The new iPod Nano made her day :) (However, in typical 12 year old fashion, she said "Cool, now all I need is an iPod." I said, "But you got one for your birthday!" Her response: "You can't play games on it." Oh, I guess your DSi isn't good enough...)

Besides this wonderful *gag* JB holiday CD, she received protective skins featuring JB for her DSi, a bottlecap necklace featuring his face, the JB perfume/body wash/lotion set (which she FLIPPED over), and a JB keychain. This girl is keychain obsessed.
To complete the wonderful JB theme, a friend of mine who makes the most WONDERFUL cakes (if you are in southeastern NH or southern ME and want her info, just let me know. You won't regret it.) made this cake just for Andraia. It was the most delicious cake (the last thing I needed after all of the Thanksgiving feasting and sinful pies), a dark chocolate cake with chocolate chips inside!! Yum!


After the festivities, it was yet another morning full of dishes and cleaning. Can I just say that I am not lifting a finger today when it comes to cleaning? I'm doing strictly laundry today. Sorry, honey. After rearranging the living room to make room for the Christmas tree and then actually putting it up yesterday (we didn't finish decorating it until 9:30!!) I am exhausted. A perfect day to play in the lonely craft room! It needs a LOT of cleaning, but I just don't have the energy for that.

I've posted pics of the cute little family-themed CD tin album I made on my Facebook page, but plan to take better pics outside for the shop. It is actually sunny today, AND dry! A winning combination for taking pictures of paper goods :) I have also whipped up more Christmas cards I'll get around to posting later, and must make 2 DT projects or else I'll miss a deadline! With all of the holiday festivities, I did miss one deadline...the newest challenge over at Dream Valley Challenges. Just because I missed the deadline doesn't mean you have to! Head over to check it out and see what my other teamies have made and enter yours for a chance to win a wonderful prize. You have 2 weeks :)

Until later,

xx

Khristen

Repurposed gift box featuring Humphrey

Good morning, I hope that everyone is doing well today. I am preparing to make a couple of pies for Thanksgiving. This has to be my second favorite holiday...I love turkey and gravy and all of the fixings. I love the leftovers more, and will confess I eat my fair share of turkey and potatoes for breakfast after the big day! I especially love being the one to cook the meal, this year we are having my parents over. Baking the apple pie is my very favorite, and even make the crust from scratch.

Today is my day to post over at the Crafter's Companion blog, and I decided to use the box my iPhone came in and transform it into a cute little Christmas gift box.

I lined the inside of the box with some great Christmas paper from my stash.

I went to work tracing the sides of the box onto the paper and adhered it with my Eco Green Crafts all-purpose Green Glue (love this stuff!)

Once all the paper pieces covered all of the Apple logos and images of the phone (don't want to get anyone's hopes up that an iPhone might be inside), I added this adorable Humphrey 1st Christmas stamp which I colored with Crafter's Companion's new Spectrum Noir markers now available for pre-order. You'll want to head over and check it out, they are fabulous alcohol ink markers that won't break the bank. They glide on so smoothly! I'm playing with them a little more so that I can start combining colors and shading, as I've seen so many other crafters out there doing. I used a fine glitter on Humphrey's hat and a thick glass bead glitter for some snow for Humphrey to sit on. Ribbon, jute, a cute snowflake brad, and the sentiment complete the box.

The bottom of the box:

That's all for right now...I have to go crazy baking pies! I hope you all have a great day, and if I don't have the chance to post again before Thursday (highly likely!), I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Don't forget to check in all week over at the Crafter's Companion blog all week to see wonderful projects, and if you get the chance, head over to the challenge blog as well for a shot to win 6 of the newest Humphrey stamps.

what a day...

Today started out great, and up until it was time to pick up Rileigh at school...then it kind of went downhill. All of my running around is over though, and despite missing the person who was supposed to get one of the boys I bring home after kindergarten by mere minutes, the crisis was averted and I got him home. All of the road construction around the highway in our town delayed my arrival back home to get the twins back to their mom on time, but now they are gone too. Thankfully, a friend brings Rileigh to and from band practice across town, so I can now stay home. *phew*

I wasn't able to play in the craft room today, but I wanted to share these cards I made with a friend this weekend. They will end up being mailed to friends/family on my Christmas card list :)

This first one features Bo Bunny papers, buttons, and Santa brad and MM Fa La La trim. Burgandy ink, Imaginisce iRock green bling and distressed edges thanks to my Heidi Swapp edge distresser.

Last year's leftover Christmas papers worked nicely here, MME glitter papers. The sentiment is an Imaginisce acrylic stamp. Twinery twine. MM ribbon and glass beads that are gorgeous :)


This is my friend's rubber stamp, embossed with red powder, colored with some alcohol ink markers, and MME Christmas papers to finish it off.


That's all for today! Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to make a bit more for the shop (like finish that Family album!) Until then, I must now go give a friend a ride to work (got the call in the middle of this post...I jinxed myself saying I was done for the day!)

xx

Khristen

*finally* Dream Valley Challenge 20 : Stitching

Good afternoon! I feel like I haven't blogged in AGES, things have been so crazy around here! Am I alone in wondering where the past couple of months have gone to? I am in shock that there are less than two weeks left until Thanksgiving...

This time around, we want to see stitching somewhere on your project over at Dream Valley Challenges. As always, you can make anything you'd like, as long as there is stitching incorporated somewhere (card, layout, home decor, jewelry...anything goes!)

I used my Scraptastic November Home Sweet Home kit for this pretty page, I am in love with the SC Farmhouse papers and embellishments!

The white floss I used for stitching came in the kit, as well as a few other colors, but I thought the white would show best on the turquoise background. I used the lid of a coffee can to trace out the circle, and then stitched over it. (Isn't that MLS glitter alpha to die for?)
Studio G brown glitter glue featured around the circles punched out of a piece of patterned paper. Red paper punched with a Fiskars edge punch.
DELICIOUS SC Farmhouse trim! I am in love with it (and too bad this was the last piece! Must. Have. MORE.) Mister Huey in pumpkin spice.
There you have it! Head over to Dream Valley Challenges and link up your creation today for the chance to win

You have two weeks! Have a great day, I hope to be able to create a little this week. We'll see what happens though...my plans all fall through lately, so I try not to commit to anything in my mind. That way, I can't let myself down...

xoxo

Khristen

Snow...

Not looking forward to it at ALL as I HATE shoveling and any aspect of snow removal, but the snow is due to fall soon. I love winter, for the simple fact I never want to go outside in the bitterly cold temps. That means hibernation time begins, and I hibernate in my craft room :)

Crafter's Companion is due to release a new set of Humphrey winter-themed stamps, and they are just so adorable! I love all of them and am looking forward to playing with all of them when things slow down a bit.

Here's a cute image from the Snow Fun set. This is definitely one of my favorites, and I can see this looking equally fantastic on a child's winter-themed layout as well.

Cosmo Cricket paper, plain jane Art Markers, and Ranger Glossy Accents are all I needed to make this card cute. I love how the Glossy Accents really makes the sentiment stand out a little bit better, and appears to be heat embossed :)

Be sure to head over to the Crafter's Companion Info Blog to see sneaks all week of this adorable range of stamps. I'm off to run a gazillion errands, pick the kids up at school, and get the new phone I ordered in the mail...mine has been acting up lately!

xoxo

Khristen

Snow much fun

Good morning! I wanted to post this earlier, but strangely, we lost power for a couple of hours. Kind of ironic: the freak Halloween snowstorm knocked power out to over 300,000 people here in my state alone, and after all but 3,000 have it restored, we lose ours on a gorgeous sunny day. Go figure...just my luck I guess. If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all!

Anywhooooo....here's a layout I worked on yesterday *just for me.* No challenges, no design team deadline to meet...just me, some paper, and these adorable pics from winter a few years back. (It's amazing how far behind I am...)

Lots of good stuff here...I love using papers not designed for a certain holiday or season and making them work regardless. Here, I used Kaisercraft Le Chateau - Voliere for the background paper and combined them with MME Round and Round, a travel line of paper. Nothing at all "travel" about the photos, but the colors work well to tie the pics in with the blue of the paper, which doesn't go with the other papers at first glance. (I used Round & Round - Scenery and Let's Go - Racing Stripes for the strips and other papers, except for the blue dotted paper. That's Le Chateau - Lumiere.)
Doodlebug beetle black alpha, Fancypants Delight stamps, Kaisercraft Le Chateau die cut file folder tab with MM Magnetic rubber stamp alpha - Rummage. The background features SC Mister Huey in pumpkin spice.
Random printed masking tape (which I can't seem to put down lately).
That is an incredible stuff2scrap Chipboard element, painted with Eco Green Crafts Zucchini acrylic paint and Black Soot Distress Stickles. LOVE. IT.
That cute little arrow is a MME Round & Round Beep Beep die cut.

That's all for now...after getting power back (and putting down a very special surprise I can't talk about just yet that I received in the mail yesterday...you're going to LOVE it) I must make the little guy lunch and head out to get shoes to fit his big ol' growing feet. Stay tuned for a sneak peek of a new mini for the shop (if you want to see it now, head to my Facebook page!)

xx

Khristen

XOXO November Challenge: Black

Black.

How does that inspire you? That's what we want to know this month over at the True XOXO Girls Challenge Blog. Head over to check out how the other talented ladies were inspired, but before you go, here's my interpretation, featuring my favorite shot of my Rileigh about 8 years ago at Christmas time with hubby:

I started by misting black cardstock with my own recipe of white acrylic paint mist, followed by a black acrylic paint mist. This chipboard heart from stuff2scrap features the same mists, with the addition of twine from The Twinery and some Glossy Accents around the edge. I love that stuff! I couldn't stop with just the heart...I added some to the title as well, highlighting the MLS alpha "love," covering the Doodlebug alpha "those," and underlining the Bella Blvd. alpha "big eyes."
Misted the Petaloo and Kaisercraft flowers here, adding Kaisercraft black pearls. More twine.
See the Cotton Candy and Diamond Stickles down there? I used papers from the Witching Hour kit from the Scraptastic Club, Echo Park goodness :) Distressed with my cute little Heidi Swapp edge distresser.
The little dots you see are Glossy Accents, and the twine here is stitched across the bottom.
There you have it! Head over to XOXO and check out what the other ladies did with this word prompt, and show us how this prompt inspires you for your chance to be a guest designer!!!!

xoxo

Khristen

Dream Valley Challenge # 19: Anything Goes

Good morning, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and Halloween. It's time for anotherDream Valley Challenge, and this time around, **ANYTHING GOES!**

I decided to use this great digi image from Stitchy Bear Stamps, and thought she went perfectly with the Crafter's Companion "I believe in fairies" rub on sentiment. I misted the card base with some Shimmerz in Treasured Hymn. Kaisercraft pearls, AC black jute, and a piece of Basic Grey paper complete this beauty.

As our monthly sponsor left us high and dry, our fearless leader Melly has offered up a prize of her own. Head over to Dream Valley Challenges to play along for your chance to win a gift certificate to your choice of either Crafty Emma's or Saturated Canary's shops :)

What are you waiting for? Link up your creation today!

CCCB November Challenge: Celebrate a Holiday

Good morning, I can't believe it's time for Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog's November challenge already! Where did October go?

This month, we are asking to see your holiday creations. Any holiday will do, although I'm sure we'll see a lot of Christmas this month! My project is a Christmas tag created using the Paint Fusion Poinsettia stamp set soon to be released. I just love poinsettias!

The Paint Fusion system makes it pretty easy to paint, even if you've never painted a day in your life (like me!)

Head on over to the CCCB and show us your holiday creation featuring your Crafter's Companion stamps for your chance to win all 6 of the newly released Humphrey the elephant stamp sets...it has rolled over from last month, and I know you want it!

xx

Khristen

Paint Fusion Teaser

If you've been eyeing the Paint Fusion system from Crafter's Companion but have been holding off, it's almost time to satisfy your urge!! Very soon, the Christmas Paint Fusion sets will be released!!

I decided to combine both the Ivy and Poinsettia sets together to create this wall hanging, for the details as to how I created this, check out **this post from yesterday.**

Stay tuned to the Crafter's Companion Blog for a new post each day featuring these wonderful sets that make it a snap to create your own painted masterpieces, even if you've never painted a day in your life!