A week off

Hi! Hope your Christmas holidays have been wonderful! I will be taking the next week off mostly. Our oldest daughter is going away to college the end of this week, and we are enjoying all 8 of us being together. 

Remember that Jan 4 is the last day to order from the Holiday Mini! If you're dying for more of that Night & Day paper or anything else, place an order through my online store!

Another fun thing coming up is the Stampin Addicts New Occasions Mini Blog Hop! It starts Friday, so be sure to check it out!

Merry Merry Christmas

May the spirit of love and giving fill your heart and home this blessed day!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 12

Today I found out that my Secret Elf is . . . .
{drum roll, please}

Trina!
Thank you so much, my dear friend! What a tremendous amount of thought, energy, and talent you put into all the gifts!

Today Trina sent a wonderful llama!!!, a beautiful decorated notebook, another wonderful card, and 3 of those beautiful flowers! It's all so perfect! Thank you for making this such a special Christmas! Sending a big virtual hug your way!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 11

I'm so sad the Secret Elf days are coming to an end! But tomorrow, I get to find out for sure who my wonderful Elf is! Today, my Elf was extremely generous!

She gave me this beautiful Mother's Day card, and a lovely gift card  holder! Inside was a gift card to World Market! It's one of my favorite places! My Elf has really been watching and listening to what I love! It touches my heart to know that she cares so much! Thank you, Elf!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 10

Day 10 already??? This has been so fun!

Look what my elfie made for me today! 

I love it! The colors just make me smile! And it's bee-yoo-ti-ful! There was so much stuff inside, I had a hard time fitting it all in the photo:

Many, many die cuts that I don't have! In pretty shimmery white and lots of other wonderful colors, too! And And a gorgeous thank you card, and a little magnetic container of the mini clips from Stampin up! More decorated clips and another adorable little pen! I {heart} office supplies, and this gift is just fabulous! Thank you so much, Christmas Elf!

Now I'm off to pet my wonderful presents!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 9

Just look at this gorgeous tin! It's a gift all by itself! I adore it!

And then, inside:

It's like my elf packaged up my entire wish list! She included 2 cards this time--I'm going to have a year's worth of lovely cards! Sage Shadow Grosgrain (one I didn't have yet!), the white Fleurettes (which I hadn't indulged in yet, either!), 2 Stampin Up window stickers (which I've been wanting *forever*), a Stampin Up logo case (perfect for my business cards!), a snail refill, Multi glue, sticky strip, and dimensionals! You all know how much I use all those adhesives! 

Christmas elf, I hope you're reading this! I love *everything*! Thank you for being so generous and thoughtful!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 8

It is very humbling to have a secret elf! She put so much thought and effort and time into all my gifts! Even though I'm not entirely sure who she is yet (I have a pretty good guess!), my love for her has increased as I've seen everything she put into these gifts!

Today, my elf gave me this lovely, lovely decorated tin, and inside is a wonderful stamp set! Thank you so much! I love it!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 7

Sorry this is so late! I've been gone all day!

This is such a thoughtful gift! These beautiful, alterable frames are enough for  my whole family! And she cut out letters for each person in my family, too! So sweet! And I love the card, too! Christmas Elf, you are the best! This is soooooooooooo sweet!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 6

Are you ready??? I can't believe we're halfway through! This has been so much fun! Here is the beautiful package that has been taunting me:

And here is what's inside!

ATG tapes! I can *always* use those! What a thoughtful gift! Thank you, Christmas Elf! You're the best!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 5

I'm showing you the lovely wrappings on all the gifts so you'll know how they've been calling to me ever since they arrived! And here is day 5!

Isn't it just lovely??? And it's so "me"! Love the colors! And drum roll, please . . .

 

 

The softest socks ever (they're going on my feet as soon as this blog post is done!), an amazing alterable case (I love stuff like this!), and a handmade box full of notecards! They're perfect! I love it all! Thank you so much, Christmas Elf! 

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 4

I just love all the details on the packaging my elf made! Those tags are gorgeous, and all the yummy ribbon, too!

Look inside!

The fabulous Stampin Up ornament! I never purchased one, because of the price. But I am so glad to have one! Thank you so much, Christmas Elf!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 3

 

Just the packaging is soooooo lovely! My elf put so much thought and time into each present! I'm amazed, humbled, and grateful!

Here are the goodies:

Three elegant 6x6 cards with yummy chocolate envelopes! and three packages of gorgeous specialty ribbon! Three, hmmmm, are you beginning to notice a pattern like I am??? The first day, my elfie sent *one* beautiful nativity ornament; yesterday, she sent *two* gifts--a gorgeous tag tin and a box of chocolates; and today, everything is in threes!

I love all these ribbons, and they are something I would never have purchased for myself! And the cards are so lovely, I just keep gazing at them! Thank you so much, Christmas elf!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 2

This package has been taunting me

 

And today I found out what was inside!

Isn't it yummy??? Can't you just *taste* the chocolate??? What's that? Oh, yes, *I'm* the one tasting the chocolate. {smile} And the gorgeous tags! I love them, and now I don't have to make any more! Yay! And look at that gorgeous tin they came in, with the matching mini-pen! Oh, myyyyyyyy. Chocolate and office supplies--it truly is Christmas! Thank you so much, Christmas Elf!

Secret Elf Gifts 2009--Day 1

Like last year, my swap sisters and I decided to do a Christmas secret elf swap! This is one of my favorite things about Christmas! First, the beautiful packaging! Isn't it just wonderful? A handmade box all stamped and shaded and layered and sponged and . . . {sigh of happiness} Every package has a beautiful tag just like this, with the appropriate date stamped on it. She's an artist, my elf!

And THEN, the actual gift!

 Isn't it gorgeous???? I collect nativities and nativity ornaments, and this is just perfect for my collection! Thank you so much, Christmas Elf! I love it!

Snowflake Christmas

Another Christmas Jingle Kit card. The Real Red scalloped circle is punched, but everything else came directly from the kit! My Christmas cards were so easy put together this year! 

Jingle Squares, Jingle Squares, Jingle all the way

This is one of my favorite cards from the Christmas Jingle kit! So easy! 

You know Dasher . . .

and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen . . .

Another card from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin Kit, but you could easily make something similar with the Dasher stamp from the back of the catalog!

Chocolate Christmas

What could be better than a chocolate Christmas??? This card was made using the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin Kit, the hostess set Christmas Punch, and the Wide Oval Punch. Couldn't be simpler!

Retiring Dormant List Blog Hop!

My fabulous friends at Stampin Addicts are showcasing some retiring dormant sets. Check out their great projects! Start here at my friend Mary's blog!

Here is the list of retiring stamps. Remember these are only sets from the Dormant list, which you can access in my sidebar or by clicking here.

Dormant Stamp Sets Discontinued on January 4, 2010 December 5, 2009 As promised, many of the stamp sets currently on our dormant list have been available for a year and now it is time to say goodbye. The following stamp sets will be discontinued on January 4, 2010.  Item Number  Stamp Set  113407   Back Woods  114492  Beautiful Baby  114486  Birthday Wish  113200   Branch Out  114496   Celebrations  113732   Central Park  113206     Classic Sketches  113226  Classy & Fabulous  114498  Flowers in Silhouette  113405  Font of You  113216     For the Bride  114494  Forever  109425     Friend by Definition  114488     Fun Flowers  113716     Garden Greetings  114490     Glad Friends  111580     Grand Soiree  113242     Hit the Road  113710     Lexicon of Leaves  113236    Man's Best Friend  114423     Ocean Commotion  113728    Playful Petals  109276     Polka Dot  111544     Putt Putt  113240     Quilt Quips  113754     Really Retro  113403     Sip by Sip  113726     Sweet Stems  113250     That's Funny  113688     Wonderful Watercolors  114028     Para la novia  114032     Acuarelas Maravillosas If any of these stamp sets are on your wish list, make sure to purchase them before they are gone for good!

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:15:00

My Digital Studio Card

I'm still having fun with My Digital Studio! As you can see from the button in the sidebar, I'm certified! (Not certifiable--already had that button.) This is one of the projects I made in order to qualify.

Have you noticed my new banner??? I made it in My Digital Studio, too! It's a great program and lots of fun! If you'd like to learn  more, please contact me! Or order it at my Stampin Up Website!

Welcome to December!

Another card from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin Kit!

The base is Very Vanilla, with a layer of Textured Chocolate Chip. Add a strip of the DSP from the kit and a cardstock element with the sentiment, and you're all done! All you need in addition to the kit is Very Vanilla cardstock and envelopes!