Scary snowmen?

Is it just me or are these the scariest snowmen you've ever seen? I just don't think snowmen should have faces! (This is just the opinion of Anisa... no offense intended)

Christmas Cards

They are starting to come... all of those fun Christmas Cards! I love getting Christmas cards... especially from people I haven't seen in a long time! I used to throw them away at the end of the year.... gasp! But a couple of years ago, I decided to save them. It's fun to see how families change and grow over the years. And it also helps me to not forget someone on my Christmas card list.

I didn't want to put them in a photo album... I wanted to save some space. So, I made an envelope to put them in. I used my Platin Schoolbook Cartridge on my Cricut and cut out an envelope. To make it big enough to hold all of my cards, I actually sewed two 12x12 pieces of cardstock together to make a 24"x12" piece of paper. Then I cut the envelope as big as it would go! The sewing is on the back and it adds a cute effect. Last year I jazzed it up a little by putting my own families photo card on the front. I made a tie closure on the back by using 2 eyelets and a card stock circle. (Up-close view) If you don't have a cricut, you could find an envelope template online or just purchase a manila envelope and decorate it!

-Anisa

Ornamental Creativity: Using What You Have

My mom is kind of old-fashioned... to say the least. But she does have some really crafty creative ideas. I thought this idea was super cute, so I wanted to share. She took candle sticks... and instead of putting candles in them, she put ornaments! She's going with a gold and red thing... and she loves brass, but this is a great idea. You could use any type of candle sticks that you like. I think it would be really cute as a table centerpiece.

Another use for "Glossy Accents"

So, the other day we found a baby scorpion in our bedroom.... eeeeek!!!

My little boys were quite fascinated with it. Brenner wanted to take it to school for show and tell. I wanted to protect this little guy while he was being passed around to 25 first graders. So, I thought back to Cami's posts on Twiddle Thumbs where she used Glossy Accents to make necklace pendants.

I have the stuff on hand from making cute magnets like these...

(These are not my magnets... because I've never taken a picture of them... I stole this pic from this Etsy Shop.)

So, I took the little guy and put him on a piece of cardstock. Then I squeezed a generous portion of Glossy Accents over him... I wanted to cover him and protect him. It worked out really well. He was covered, protected and ooohed and aaaahed over by 25 first graders.

-Anisa

Seasonal Banner

I'm really into seasonal stuff... I don't know why. I think it's because I get bored with the same decorations all the time... However, I'm realizing that all of my seasonal decor takes up a lot of storage space... and it's a lot of work to change the decor every month... oh well, I still love it!!! So, our enrichment made this countdown calendar to Christmas. I thought it was an adorable idea, but the countdown was only for 12 days and I do a countdown for all 25 days of Christmas. So I decided to use mine as a seasonal banner. I had made a few seasonal banners before. But I didn't make one for every month. Now, this cute banner is hung up all year and I will just make new cards to go into each pocket. (I ran out of time to embellish my Thanksgiving banner) Here is a close-up of the banner. You can see that what I did was sew together two pieces of plastic .... the kind you use as a table cloth... I have no idea what it's called but you can buy it at Joann. I used a zig zag stitch to sew around 3 sides. The back piece of plastic is about a 1/2 inch taller than the front piece. Mine is about 4" square, but you could make it any size. Then I just hole-punched the top corners and tied them all together with ribbons... I used browns and creams to keep it as neutral as possible. I think it would be really fun to make one that says "Celebrate" for birthdays. It's super easy to just take the cards out and switch them. And the nice thing is that all you have to store is a small stack of papers for each month! Let me know if you have any questions on how to make this banner. -Anisa

Jubilee of Trees

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

(Cami posted a question below and made a poll at the right... don't forget to vote on our poll and leave a comment letting us know what Christmas projects you're working on.)

When we moved to St. George I had the feeling I would get roped into helping with the Jubilee of Trees. You see, my mother-in-law, Rosalie Scholes, is the Director of Facility Decor. Which means, she is in charge of..... .... all decorations and set up for the Jubilee.... from Banners..... ... to presents in the foyer.... .... to a giant castle that greets you as you walk in... ....to walls that separate all of the booths... .... and the details.... ... there are a lot of details... I was feeling kind of guilty that we hadn't helped much. So, the last week before I asked, "what can we do to help." She said, "well, I'm having someone paint these banners and I just need some help outlining them in black marker." So, I headed off to a cold, empty warehouse (the staging area) to help. Little did I know.... I made the mistake of saying, "I can do that." So, I helped with the banners. I actually painted some of the banners. They hang from the ceiling to tell you know where each booth is. It was actually kind of fun and fun to walk through the Jubilee and see that I had done something to help.

And last, but not least is my mother-in-law's tree. She has decorated a tree for 23 years. She has won people's choice many times. She is awesome at what she does! This picture doesn't do it justice! The Jubilee ends tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 22nd.) So, if you live in St. George and have the time... stop by and see for yourself.

-Anisa

Christmas Crafting: What are YOU working on?

I've been diligently working on two of my Christmas gifts for family members and I am determined to finish these two before starting any new ones that I have on my list. It got me wondering what everyone out there is working on so far for Christmas (gifts or decor). Take a minute to click on the poll on the sidebar to the right and let us know! -C

My Latest Project

Chloe arrived safely into her parents arms last Monday at 7 lb 8 oz and 19.5 inches long.  She is an angel and adored by her big sisters and brother. I've had the best recovery with her and will be back to normal crafting and projects soon!

Ang