Willow & Paisley

Blingtastic!

 

 

 

Hey Everyone.  LONG time NO post.  I haven't made any Christmas cards this year except this one.  Can you believe I used store bought cards this year?  And I didn't even get any of them mailed out to family and friends.  Just co-workers.  I am supposed to be a card maker right?  Sad, so sad.  

 

I have, however, been busy getting all kinds of Christmas stuff done, such as mailing nieces and nephews gifts, as we are heading to HAWAII in a few days with some of our very bestest friends in the world!!  I cannot wait.  My parents are coming to dog/house sit.  I am so thankful to them for doing that for us. 

 

 

Technique Tuesday sent some of these red rhinestones in our last DT package so a few of us have gotten together to create with them.  I used the Twinkle On stamp set to buttons on these adorable little felt gingerbread men that I've had for a few years.  Be sure to check out the other blingtastic creations over on the TT blog.  

 

I must have gingerbread men on the brain.  Last week our office had an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party at a pub after work.  It was alot of fun but impossible to find Christmas sweaters this time of year at the thrift stores.  I think alot of people had the same thing in mind so I made my own and one for a coworker.  I think he was nervous not knowing what to expect but I made a really CUTE sweater for him and it was a hit.  This is the best photo I have from my iPhone but you get the idea.  I didn't show his face as I'm not sure he'd appreciate that.  Sorry for cutting off your head, Muffin!  LOL. 

 

Only 2 more sleeps until we leave for Hawaii and 4 more sleeps until Christmas.   Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a very Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Jingle ~ Sketching Through the Snow

 

I'm cutting it really close to get my card in to the Jingle Belles current challenge.  This week was a sketch.  I don't really do many sketches (in fact I hardly do any challenges at all and I must see about looking for some more to try) and my card is certainly a loose interpretation but I like it!  It's bright and colourful to say the least. 

 

 

 

 

Christmas was one month ago.  Can you believe that?  Wow, does time fly by or what?  The great thing about this Christmas card challenge blog is that I already have 4 cards ready to give away next December as I'm making 2 of the same card for each challenge.  What a great feeling that is!

 

 

 

 

No Time Like the Present(s)

 

Yes, it's a Christmas card. 

(Don't freak out too much)

 

 

 

I know, I know......we have all de-Christmasfied our houses and put it out of our minds for another 11 months (unless you are my neighbor and still have your tree up and plugged in 24/7 since mid-November.  Seriously, I'm mystified by it).  

 

BUT making a Christmas card falls into my plan for 2012 to SIMPLIFY.  That's the word I chose for myself this year but I want you to know that it's just really a fancy word to allow me to be lazy when I want to be.  I'm all about full disclosure. 

 

I am planning on playing along with the lovely ladies, Stef and Lauren, over at the Jingle Bells blog to make a Christmas card (or 2) every two weeks.  This way when it comes time to mail my cards next year I will potentially have 50 cards ready to go.  You see, when I sat in my craft room for hours late one night to mass produce Christmas cards for my co-workers just days before the 25th, I was kicking myself for not joining in last year.  I do not want that to happen again.  It was not fun. 

 

 

 

 

This weeks prompt over at Jingle Bells was to either make a card with a Christmas present on it or use wrapping paper.  I chose the wrapping paper route and cut out squares which I rounded the corners of and attached them. It was a bit messy because I am a Mono Multi girl and wrapping paper is thin and the paper warped pretty easily.  I did make 2 but the other one ain't pretty. 

 

I heat embossed my front sentiment from Believe by Ali Edwards and also stamped the inside of the card.  Is it ok to say that I'm kinda thrilled I don't have to put away my Christmas stamps anytime soon?

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up to:

 

P.S....I'm going to be back soon with a stamp giveaway.  See you. 

 

 

 

 

Thrifty Finds - Christmas Decorations

 

Merry Christmas Eve.  Yep, I'm going to share a Thrifty Post today because it's mainly Christmas items and after tomorrow, well, I'm pretty sure I'd get some funny looks if I was posting Christmas decorations.

 

Speaking of funny looks I am going to first tell you how it is I actually have time to do a blog post when I should be freakin' out and getting everything ready for Christmas Day.  Not long ago you might remember I mentioned that we were staying home this year and it was just going to be the 2 of us at home.  {{We thought we would do Fondue.}}  Well, it turns out my bachelor brothers in law are staying in town so they are coming over and I needed to figure out what to do for our dinner.

 

{{cue the angels singing}}.......TURKEY TO GO!  OH. YES. WE. DID!

 

 

We ordered our entire Christmas dinner from a hotel here in Calgary!!  All we have to do it pick it up at our chosen time slot and come home and serve it.  And eat it!  I cannot tell you how happy I am about this decision. I don't even care if it tastes like cardboard....but it won't.  There was no way I was cooking for 4 people.  I know it's not hard to cook a turkey but the dinner overall is ALOT of work whether it's 4 people or 14 people.  My amazing hubby told me about it as a friend of his ordered this last year.  I was literally jumping for joy once we placed our order.  

 

 

Ok, moving on.....here's some of my Thrifty Finds and how I used them in my Christmas decorating this year. 

 

The swinging doors I showed a couple weeks ago are used in a display on a ledge as you come in the front door.  We don't have a mantle on our fireplace and this is the closest place I have to mimic a mantle.  The swinging doors were $3.50 for both.

 

 

 

 

This wreath is HUGE.  I paid $3 for it at a garage sale 2 summers ago.  I bought a couple fake Poinsettias at Michael's and cut them apart to slip into the wreath for Christmas.  In the spring I put in some birds and and a nest.   Yep, that means the wreath just stays there all year round.  I'm too lazy to take it down.  I need to find a piece of furniture for that space. 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought this little green dish at the thrift store on Thursday for $1.00.  It's perfect for the Christmas cards we have received. I normally have them in a basket but I like this better.  Oh and there are my musical bells.  I hung them on my lamp rather than putting them in a window. 

 

 

 

Ok are you ready for this cuteness??  My amazing friend Brenda totally GETS me!  She bought this for me at Value Village for $9.99.  She knew it had to come and live with me.  I swear people I might go all Clark Griswold on you one of these years.  I love him and he is so cool when all lit up!

 

 

 

I have been absolutely obsessed with looking for these vintage ceramic trees.  I found the tiny one for $1.00.  The bigger one below was half price so it was $1.50.  Those were from the Mennonite Thrift store several weeks ago.  Alot of the little "bulbs" are missing.  I need to order some on eBay but don't you love the Lite Brite pieces that someone used?  If that's not thrifty goodness, I don't know what is!  LOL. 

 

 

 

Here is where they are displayed in my living room.  I'm not good at the whole vingette thing.  I just put things out cuz I love to look at them.   The green sleigh is one of my all time favorite vintage finds last year.  I believe I paid about $2.50?  The coloured glass balls are also vintage.

 

 

Here is the "find of the year" in my opinion. How appropriate that the find of the year is at the end of the year!  Again.....let me tell you I am obsessed with these green ceramic trees.  I thought I'd never find one.  On Thursday I went to the Mennonite Thrift Store and immediately spotted this little tree on the floor.  $4.  Oh man.

 

 

Then I turned around and this larger one was lit up sitting by the cash register.  I die.  It said $7.  I asked if I could buy it and they said yeppers!  {{If you are a thrifter you know exactly how I felt that minute when I found the very item I've been dying to find and not only one but two!!}}

 

When I was at the cash register the lady grabbed a shopping basket and was trying to put these in it.  I had no idea what she was doing but apparently there was a Christmas Basket Sale meaning that if an item did NOT fit in the basket it was half price.  She said "that will be $4 dollars".  I literally gasped and loudly said NO!  Total?  I'm still confused how it came to $4.  I feel like I ripped off the charity thrift store.  All I know is that it was like that IKEA commercial where the girl thinks she got such a good deal she runs out yelling "start the car" to her husband.   Yep, that was me, except I was by myself.  

 

 

Here they are displayed in a corner of my kitchen.  I took the photo at night so it's really off colour but you get the idea.  

 

 

I have really enjoyed decorating my house this year but the really BIG question is ......WHO IS GOING TO TAKE IT ALL DOWN????  OMG

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

 

 

Jingle

 

 

 

I'm sure you've all seen all the Subway Art that has been all over Pinterest and blogs for quite some time now.  I love all those creations and I had that subway art idea in my head when I made this card.  It's a loose interpretation for sure but I like how it turned out. 

 

 I'm sure we all have a drawer full of Thickers and alpha stickers we don't use enough.  This was a fun way to use some of them up.

 

 

 

 

Ok, everyone.....4 more sleeps!  Are you all ready for the big day?  Do you have lots left to check off your lists?  Try not to stress yourself out, ok?  Relax and enjoy!  

 

This is probably the easiest year we've had that I can remember.  We are staying home and not travelling to visit family.  It's not our usual but I am very much looking forward to a nice and quiet Christmas....at home.

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Ornament Tree

 

Hey Everyone.  I want to share with you my very favorite Christmas decoration that I made this year AND my very favorite blog, Into Vintage, where the idea originally came from.  

 

This is my "Ornament Tree" and I think I just officially justified all those purchases of glass ornaments I made throughout the year by creating it.  Or at least that's my story!  Every single ornament is either vintage &/or from a thrift store with the exception of the little jingle bells.  Those are Martha Stewart (Home Depot) and I used them to fill in the small spaces.   If you ever spot vintage ornaments at Thrift stores you really should pick them up.  There are gorgeous compared to the "new" stuff in retail stores these days. 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE it!  I mean I really really love it BUT I am still IN LOVE with the original one that Amy created on her blog last December.  Hers needs to be published in a magazine.  Here it is below.  Isn't that amazing?!!

 

 

 

The "tree" is made by hooking ornaments thru the screen material on the back door in my kitchen.  I taped up some twine to get the shape and size I wanted and then just started adding the ornaments and filling in all the spaces. 

 

Because it's on my back door it really is quite temporary so I'd have to re-make it each year.  I won't mind doing that but then again I'm actually considering just storing it "as is" in the basement.  In a safe place, of course.  We never open that side of the door and the screen is always in storage anyway as I find it makes the kitchen look dark.  Maybe we will just carefully remove it and cover it with a sheet. 

 

 

 

 

Now the only reason I'm going to inundate you with a way too many photos is because I really suck at taking pictures.  I probably took 100+ photos at different times of the day and still none of them really do it justice.  I'll share some taken in different light. 

 

Thanks so much for looking and I hope you likey!  

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loonie Stampers - Stars

 

 

 

Dee chose STARS for us to use on our cards this go around.  My embossing folder does have some stars on it but they didn't show up very well so I added stars over top of them.  It's a super simple card that uses a past sketch from a magazine not long ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Did everyone get Christmas cards mailed out?  I've sent a few but certainly not the usual amount.  I am terrible at sending cards throughout the year so I always like to try to get them out at Christmas time.  There's always next year, right?  

 

 

 

 

 That's it for today.  If I have my way my Christmas shopping will be done today.  Not that I have alot to buy for but I'm going to get out early to avoid some crowds if at all possible.  Oh and I may have to hit a thrift store or 2.  What? It's what I do!!  ha. 

 

Merry Christmas Friends!

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda

 

 

 

 

Thrift Finds - Christmas Schtuff

 

Hey Everyone.....I'm so lazy about blogging lately but I thought I better get my most recent Thrifty Finds posted before Christmas passes me by as some of them are "Christmas-y".

 

 

First up are these cute glass snack trays I picked up at Value Village for $1.99 each.  What I didn't know was that these come with a cup and I bet they were at VV but I didn't know to look for them. 

 

 

 

I didn't notice it until I got home but can you see the little cigarette holder notch in the upper left corner?  I found out that these were made in the 40's and 50's by Hazel Atlas and are called "Snack, Sip and Smoke" trays.  Apparently having ashes in your food at cocktail parties was all the rage back then.  Who knew?!

 

 

 

I also picked up this fondue pot and all these fondue forks for a total of $3.50.  It does come with the stand and fuel thing but they just are not in the picture.  I got it into my head that we will do fondue sometime during Christmas since we are home by ourselves this year.  I've decided we will only have a turkey dinner if one of the local gourmet markets will cook it, carve it and deliver it.  And apparently they will for a $30 charge.  Now that's a deal!

 

 

 

I bought these swinging doors during the summer for $3.50 for the set.  For that price they came home with me even though they aren't really shutters.  I'll show you soon how I have them displayed for Christmas. 

 

 

 

Oh I am so in love with these bells.  My mom and I had just been talking the night before and I was saying how much I love her musical bells just like these that I grew up knowing.  Well, sure enough, we hit the thrift store the next day and there they were.  I paid $8 for these.  When I asked my mom if I should buy them she said if I didn't she would so I snapped them up. 

 

 

 

These very vintage ornaments were $1 for a bag of 18.  Now there is only 17 because my mom dropped one.  Bad mom.  I'll also show you how I used these and ALL my vintage and thrifted ornaments in a Christmas decoration.  I love how it turned out but I'm having a heck of a time getting a decent photo of it. 

 

 

 

I found this tablecloth for $15 at the thrift store.  Definitely not a "thrifty" price but I love the print so much.  It's huge too so I know it will fit my table.  I just need to get it washed and pressed so I can use it on my table Christmas Day. 

 

 

 

I don't think it's vintage but I'm not sure.  It does have a vintage feel so that's good enogh for me.  Here is the tag. It says Made in the United Kingdom. 

 

 

 

Last but not least....my glossy white reindeer.  He's not thrifty or old.  I picked him up at Winners for $19.99 but I just wanted to share his cuteness.  He's currently on my coffee table with green jingle bells hanging from his antlers. 

 

Is anyone else still thrifty shopping or are you only Christmas shopping these days?  I don't have many people to buy gifts for this year and I can't help myself and still try to hit the thrift stores once every 1-2 weeks.  

 Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

 

Linking up to: 

 

Flea Market Finds                                                    Thrift Share Monday

                  

 

Loonie Stampers Challenge - Pointsettias

 

 

 

Happy Friday everyone!   This week is my pick and I went with Poinsettias.  My card is actually a reject from a Paper Crafts magazine call based on a sketch that I made in May.  I'm ok with that since I get to share it today!

 

 

 

 

 

I made these little poinsettias by cutting tons of tiny little petals from red and green felt and then held them together with a few stitches thru the centre of each.  They were very easy to make and so sweet.  Although, I'd still love to get my hands on a great die for a poinsettia but need to find one I like.  

 

Let's go see if the girls got into the Christmas spirit....

 Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda 

 

 

 

 

Loonie Stampers Challenge

 

 

 

This week was a bit of a challenge indeed.  Rhonda asked us to use Red, Light Pink and Lime Green.  I do love the colour combo but I left it pretty late and rushed it so I really wasn't thrilled with the pink that I chose and the card didn't turn out like I envisioned.  {{And don't even get me started on trying to photograph that foil holly leaf!}}  Oh well, another card that's ready to be signed, sealed and delivered! 

 

 

 

The stamp set I used is called Good Cheer by Ali Edwards ~~ from Technique Tuesday. 

 

 

 

 

Anyone else out there a Twilight fan?  The Loonie girls and myself sure are.  I know a couple of the girls have tickets in hand to go opening night.  We didn't pre-order but I think Wendy, Rho and I are going to try to go see it this weekend.  Maybe Sunday.  Should be fun.  

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda