Mailable Monday # 131

I'm back with Mailable Monday. Didn't post one last week due to

my daughters birthday. 

These colors are a little different for Christmas. 

The base card and stamped layer is Smokey Slate. 

Stamp set Reason for the Season. I like being able to use 

one stamp set to complete a card. This set comes with three different greetings. 

This stamp set is three steps. I did the bold image first with Real Red, then the 

detail layer in black, and lastly Old Olive ink for the leaves. 

I wanted more pop, so I stamped the bold image and detail layer on another 

piece of Smokey Slate then cut it out and placed over the stamped image

using a pop dot. I then used a white gel pen to add some detail on the petals and leaves. 

The stamped panel was layered on white and adhered to the card with pop dots. 

I also added a strip of white organza ribbon. This ribbon is great for mailing as

its flat and doesn't really need a bow or knot. Just cut a v shape on each end and

its ready to mail. 

Here is a side view so you can see how the flower is layered. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Home for Christmas Gift Tags

I made some gift tags yesterday. 

Designer paper Home for Christmas. Love that paper! 

I also used Holiday Ornament framelits, gold thread, real red, pool party, and

white cardstock. 

Can't really see from the photo but I ran the red ornaments 

through the snow embossing folder and used a gold sharpie marker across

the top of each ornament. 

Me and hubby went out to eat yesterday, and did a little bit of shopping. 

We had a great Thanksgiving, but its been raining ever since. 

I guess it is better than having snow! Oh no I said that dirty 4 letter word. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Home for Christmas Notebook

This little book was fun to make this morning. 

It features Home for Christmas designer paper. 

I got to use some new toys, Hearth and Home, and Fireside framelits. 

Greeting from Jingle all the Way stamp set. 

Love the little kitty looking out the window. 

I added some twine around the binding and two little jingle bells. 

Here is a side view of the notebook. I picked it

up at Pat Catan's. Its just a little kraft paper book. 

I like that the inside pages has lines to write on. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Thanksgiving Photos

So I had some fun yesterday morning putting this turkey veggie tray together. 

I used seedless cucumbers, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, and green, red, and

yellow peppers. 

The head is a bottom slice of green pepper. Eyes made with black beans. 

Here is the grill master Jason make the turkey outside in the deep fryer. Love

his apron! Oh and it does glow in the dark. He turned the lights off while in the house

to show me. 

We had a beautiful day! Got into the lower 60's. 

 

Just waiting for that turkey to cook. Once the oil got hot it took 

35 minutes to cook. In the foreground is Jason dad Don. Sarah and John in the background. 

Waiting for the bird to rest. 

The table. 

I love this built in mirror in the kitchen. 

John and his girlfriend Emily. 

Skip playing with Sarah's cat Odie. 

We had a great day. The food was wonderful, and we got to just hang out and chat. 

Not planning on doing any black Friday shopping. It is suppose to rain later today. 

I'm going to work on some Christmas gifts, and maybe start addressing the cards. 

I'm so glad the tree it up. One less thing to do! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Turkey Punch Card, Christmas Tree

Happy Turkey day! My friend Kat cased this card

and made it for me. Super cute!

I was busy yesterday. I prepped the stuffing balls, sweet potato casserole, 

gingerbread cookies, and cut all the veggies for the tray. 

Only thing I need do today is pop some stuff in the oven and 

finish it off. We will be heading over to Sarah and Jason's sometime

this afternoon. 

Photo of our tree. Check out the extra large stocking

on the wall.....I told hubby I wanted him to fill that one for me!

Speaking of stockings...I have seemed to misplaced the box that contained

the family's Christmas stockings. I need to go on the hunt this weekend

and see if I can find them. 

Since I posted an ornament that Sarah made earlier this week I

wanted to show one John had made in Kindergarten. The teacher

wrote his name in it, but he shaped it and did the painting. 

I put it up higher on the branches along with his hot wheel ornaments. 

Hoping that Cherokee will refrain from climbing the tree. 

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving day! 

I'm thankful that both my knees having been replaced this year and they

seem to be doing well. Also thankful for Sarah getting married to a wonderful

man. And I'm thankful for all my family and friends who were able to share

that special day with us. And I'm truly thankful for God giving us such

a wonderful day. Sun is shining and its going to be in the upper 50's. Beautiful!

Stamping trails

Karen

Santa and Elf Fry Box

I haven't used the fry box die in some time. 

So I brought it out for these fun containers. 

Santa suit features a white glimmer paper beard made

with the largest framelit from Apothecary Accents. 

For the elf I free hand cut the red collar. Simple to 

do just cut another front panel using the die then round it

off at the bottom and cut small "v's" across it. 

The rhinestones added to the points were added to look like bells.

Both the belts are just a narrow strip of black cardstock. 

Now I just need to fill them. 

I'll be doing some prep work for Thanksgiving dinner today as 

I know many of my readers will also be doing. 

Sarah and Jason are hosting Thanksgiving this year so 

I don't have to make as much, but I'm doing stuffing balls, sweet potato

casserole, and a veggie tray that I'm making look like a turkey. 

I most likely will not be posting on Thanksgiving day so I hope

everyone has a wonderful holiday and remember that calories don't count on that

day! Just kidding....don't over do it! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Happy Birthday to Sarah

So we put up the tree over the weekend. 

Sarah came over yesterday to celebrate her birthday. 

It is today, but she had to work.

We all enjoyed looking at all the ornaments the kids made and/or

were bought over the years. 

This one Sarah made in kindergarten. 

The construction paper is all faded, but I wouldn't get rid of it for the world. 

On the back the teacher put in a school photo, then laminated it. 

And here is a more recent photo of my little girl on her wedding day. 

All I can say is that it has been a very short 33 years. Seems like

only yesterday she was a babe in arms.

Like my mom use to say...you never changed you just grew up. 

Love you honey, and I hope you have a very happy birthday. 

Walking down memory lane

Kare

November Paper Pumpkin

Me and hubby had a very busy day yesterday.

Had to do some rearranging of the living room so

we could put the tree up. 

We had to stop before we were finished to run out and 

get a new star for the treetop. 

I feel like its Christmas now, and not just because the tree is up. 

Its more because I was able to go out and do some shopping in November,

while it was cold and rainy. Wouldn't have done that last year at this time. 

I also know its that time of the year as the city of Brunswick has the light

poles rigged with the large snowflakes they put up every year. 

I did squeeze in just a bit of time to make a card using the November 

Paper Pumpkin from SU. I will have to call them 

on Monday to request a new Joy stamp. See the little blank

spot just above the Y? There is a defect in the stamp and it won't ink. 

Here is a photo of the inside card along with the matching envelopes

that come in the kit. I was so happy to see that the PP was a holiday kit. 

Its 1:45 am as I'm writing this post. Couldn't sleep. I think I'm excited about

the snow that is on the way. My friend Marianne wasn't happy yesterday as they 

had 4 inches. I don't mind the snow as long as I don't have to go out in it. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Chevron Fleece Blanket

Just a quick post today. I wanted to show you 

the fleece throw I made for Sarah's birthday. 

Its no sew just like the wine one I did for my living room. 

Sarah likes yellow and gray, so I did the bottom in a dark grey, and 

the top using a yellow chevron pattern. Hope she likes it. 

I'm cleaning the downstairs craft room. I really want to move

back into it as I don't have enough space in the upstairs room. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Snowman Hat Tin

My latest project. It is a snowman hat container. 

The top hat part is a painted tin that held Pirouline cookies. 

Hubby primed it with black primer. After it was 

dry I applied a coat of Modge Podge. 

The hat brim is actually a plastic plate.

Here you can see the bottom of the plate. I like the design so decided 

not to paint over it. 

The two pieces were glued together then I added a burlap

hat band, and then a button, and berry garland. 

Since I'm going to use this as a table decoration to 

hold treats I chose not to have a lid on top. 

I'm trying to decide if its finished as I'm debating

on added some snow around the top part of the hat. 

What do you think? Does it need anything else? 

Stamping trails

Karen

Ornament Fridge Magnets

How about some ornament fridge magnets for the holiday? 

For the base I used coffee sleeves from Starbucks. 

Next I used scraps of designer paper to cover the circle (2 inch circle punch).

 

After the pieces were glued in place using tombo liquid glue I added 

 

stitch lines with a black marker. To make them shine a bit I brushed them

 

with Modge Podge, but you could also cover them with a thin layer of 

 

SU crystal effects. 

 

After they were dry I wanted a bit more texture so I ran them through the Big

 

Shot using the new snowflake embossing folder. 

 

 

Here is a close up view so you can see the detail. 

 

After the decorating was done I added a magnet to the back of each one. 

 

The snowflake is from the pillow box thinlit, and was cut with glimmer paper. 

 

This was then layered on the largest flower from the boho punch. They

 

layer really well together. Other stamp set used Sparkly Seasons. It

 

was perfect for the ornament hanger. 

 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Back with more wine Cork Snowmen

Back with more wine cork snowmen. 

I used blue and black knit gloves to make the hats. 

All in all I made 20. I didn't plan to 

make that many, but I guess I just got on a roll. 

I like them all but I think the ones with the black hat are my 

favs because they look more like a snowman with the black hat. 

I made a very large pot of turkey noodle soup yesterday afternoon. 

I used the leftover turkey from Sunday. Sarah is stopping by

today. I'm thinking of getting her to help me put up the tree. 

I know its early, but since I received my first Christmas

gift yesterday I need to have the tree up so it can go under it. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Mailable Monday # 130

Love this designer paper! 

Its called Home for Christmas. I cut out the little deer. 

Some tips for you on cutting: Move the paper you are cutting 

and not the scissors. You will get smoother cutting lines. 

Also if you have smaller things to cut like I did in between the

deer legs I cut that first. This way you have more to hold on to while you

are cutting. 

I also used the new snowflake embossing folder. At the bottom of the 

card I tore strips of white cardstock to look like snow drifts then added sparkle with

dazzling details. 

Greeting from Jingle all the Way. 

We had a very nice "mini" thanksgiving meal yesterday. 

I cooked a small turkey (12 pounds), and had 

Skip's mom Kate over for dinner. She had a good time

getting out and visiting with the family. 

Next step.....putting up the tree! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Missing my Brother

Missing my brother Tony today and always. 

Happy birthday in heaven. 

Love you.

Stamping trails

Karen

Snowflake Pencils

Made some fun pencils yesterday. 

I used last years snowflake charms from the holiday mini. They

were perfect as they have a small hole in the top of the flake. 

Really easy to make just use an eyelet screw and twist it into the pencil. 

I used a jump ring to attach the charm to the eyelet. Next I added

the glitter ribbon from the current holiday mini. 

You could also use the wooden snowflakes as they also have a hole in the top to 

attach. Back in the day I use to make pencil charms using shrink plastic...remember that? 

I may even go back and do that as I think the new snowflake punch would be perfect to use

with the matching stamp set. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Wine Cork Snowmen

These cute little snowmen started out as wine corks. 

I white washed them with acrylic paint, then

added the eyes and nose with black, and pumpkin acrylic paint. 

Eyes and mouth easy to do just by dipping the end of a paint 

brush into a puddle of paint then dotting it on the cork. 

I didn't do this intentionally, but the snowmen could

 

be Cleveland Browns fans! With the brown ski hat which is the 

finger part of the cheap knit gloves, and the scarf tied around the 

bottom with brown and orange plaid ribbon. 

I just used things that I already had in the craft room. 

To hang them I used eye screws that I twisted into the tops. 

Oh the little snowflake sequin is from last years 

holiday mini catalog from SU. 

I painted about 20 of these little guys, but I haven't finished them

all as I need to get more gloves. I want to find red, and black ones. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Thanksgiving Frame Art, and Christmas Cactus

My friend Kat sent me this wonderful Thanksgiving frame art. 

Which gave me yet another reason to visit my favorite craft store in 

search of a frame. 

Since it was a beautiful day out I drove down to Pat Catan's, and

found the perfect wood frame for the piece. 

Thanks Kat! 

This is my Christmas cactus which I share a photo of most every

year since I started my blog. I bought this from K-Mart way

back in 1995, and since then it has been transplanted 4 times. 

It was just a tiny little thing when I bought it. 

I'm thinking I may have to transplant it again in the Spring. 

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while you

will remember that my cactus is mixed up about when to bloom. 

This started to bud mid October and was full of blooms just in time 

for Halloween, and it will continue to bloom though the end of November. 

However....it also has been know to bloom in February, and April. 

I know if I take it out of the light longer in the summer it will bloom closer to 

Christmas but I keep forgetting. Maybe next year! 

Stamping trails

Karen

Washi Tape Tea Lights

Just a quick and easy holiday project today. 

I took washi tape and adhered it around tea light candles. 

Next step was to add white sand to the votive holders. 

Very very simple! This would make a great kids project. 

I got the package of sand at my local craft store. You can get them

in many different colors. If you can't get the sand you could also 

use regular table salt in the votive. Also if the washi tape is too

wide it is easy just to wrap the extra to the underside of the tea light. 

I found a great deal at the dollar store for holiday scented tea lights. 

Stamping trails

Karen

Look its a Deer

I found this card on Pinterest.

The one I saw was made by Billie Moan. So clever! 

Since I didn't get the Woodland stamp set I asked my

friend Kat to make me some. We have  hunters in the family

and I thought these would be great Christmas cards for them.

Love how Kat used red glimmer paper to make his nose. 

So cute!!!! Thanks Kat!

I did some house cleaning yesterday. The upstairs

really needed to be vacuumed. Everything needed dusting, and

of course the bathroom also needed a good scrubbing. 

Today no cleaning for me! I'm going to run down to Pat Catan's this afternoon. 

Looking for some frames. I have art that needs to be frames. 

Also have to take the turkey out of the freezer. We are having a small early 

Thanksgiving this weekend. Going to have Skip's mom over and spend the day with

us on Saturday. 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Mailable Monday # 129

I was so happy when my friend Kat called and told me that

the July 2015 Paper Pumpkin was being sold to those who missed it. 

Just loved that set. 

I decided to feature it for Mailable Monday. 

Punched the tree with the tree punch then used the cactus stamp with Mellow

Moss ink to stamp it. 

Cup was inked with Cherry Cobbler. 

Other stamp set used Jingle all the Way. 

I also used Watercolor Wash background stamp on the Crumb Cake layer. 

To jazz it up I used the smallest flower from the Boho punch with white glimmer paper, and 

added just a little bit of Cherry Cobbler seam binding. 

The completed panel was then layered on Merry Moments designer paper, with

 

a white base card.

 

I'm late posting today as I didn't get to stamp till this morning. 

 

Sarah and Jason came over yesterday afternoon with pizza. 

 

We got to go though all the wedding photos. There are over 700 photos to look at from

 

the photographer. Fun afternoon! 

 

I'm getting a cold. Was up last night sneezing. JOY!!!

 

Stamping trails

Karen 

Mini Clay Pot Nativity

I've been making some Christmas crafts. 

Picked up these 1 1/2 inch clay pots at Pat Catan's

the other day. 

The ball knobs for Mary's and Joseph's head are 1 1/2 inch. 

Baby Jesus is a 3/4 inch wood bead. 

I added burlap head and shoulder wraps. I decided to use 

white hemp for the bow and tie. 

Clay pot for the baby is filled with shredded straw for the

manger. Eyes were made using tip of paint brush dipped in black paint. 

I forgot how much I enjoy making other crafts besides stamping. 

This is getting me in the mood for the holidays!

Skip took me to the mall yesterday afternoon. 

Again I know it doesn't sound like much but I was able

to walk around the top floor. Didn't want to push it and walk the lower level. 

South Park mall is looking good all deck out with Christmas decor! 

Makes me want to put up my tree!

Stamping trails

Karen

Wine Fabric Bag Lady

I made a new "bag" lady with a little help from my friends. 

Connie made me one years ago using pansy fabric because

back in the day I decorated the kitchen with pansys and ivy. 

So I asked Connie if she still had the pattern as I wanted to make a new

one using wine fabric that Kat had brought me. 

Now Connie I'm really surprised you still had the pattern as it

was in a magazine dated in 1994! Thanks for

sending it to me so quickly! 

Here is a close up view of the bag lady's shopping list. 

I wrote it on a strip of cardstock that I curled. 

Close up view of her face. Love the little glasses! I thought 

now that I'm older that my bag lady should reflect that. 

Since I didn't have a blog back in the day I wanted to post 

a photo of the one Connie made me. The bag lady has done a great job

over the years holding all those plastic bags.

Stamping trails

Karen