Happy Mail

 Look at what I received in the mail.  Oh, Happy Day!  It's always a happy day when there is something in my mailbox besides bills and junk mail!  This really made my day!  The beautiful stencil is the one I won in the Dream Weaver challenge (Dream Weaver Challenge link is in my side bar on the right side of my blog)  Pretty stencil, can't wait till I have the time to try it.  The beautiful glittered card was made by Lynell from Dream Weaver.  Lynell, very kindly also included some instructions for the double glitter technique to use with the stencil...

Another Christmas/Advent idea...

The house above is a re posting from a pic on my blog.  I made this house for my sister-in-law as part of her Christmas present many years ago.  I got  the idea from a Christmas book that I have...just have to get a small box, about the size of a shoe box, and cover it with folded paper twist.  I used foam sheets to cut out my windows and door. I baked a Loaf pound cake to put inside the box.

Laundry day

I should have sent this card off a few weeks ago, so It will lose some of its impact...but I think my grandson will still get a kick out of the card. When my grandson did his first load of laundry at school, he sent my daughter a picture of all his laundry washed and neatly folded (On his made bed) It was a proud moment for him...LOL. I thought it was cute, and, of course, I had to make this event into a card making moment. I found the little laundry clothes for the card, at Papercraft inspirations magazine...they have a lot cute free printables.

http://papercraftinspirations.themakingspot.com/

Gift to me from Delores

I received this beautiful basket from one of my Mother's friends Delores. We had been sharing a while back about the house I made with paper twist...

http://ribbonchallenged.blogspot.com/2009/05/favorite-things-friday-12.html

She wanted to see a picture of it, and told that she made baskets with paper twist, but was having trouble still finding it in craft stores. I told her I still had a bunch of it my craft room (and who knows what else is in that room---I definitely need to clean it out) anyway she told me that when she made another one she would show it to me. Well, she made another one, and yes, it brought me to tears when she gave it to me. It's so beautiful, and I am going to put my sympathy cards in the basket.

Merry Christmas

My daughter actually made this ornament. I thought it was a great idea, obviously it was made out of puzzle pieces.
My daughter, also made this wreath, It is special to me because she used buttons from my Mother-In-Law's sewing box

My poor angel is looking a bit ragged, I made her many years ago using a yarn pattern that I found on the net.

I made my Mother a gift one year using a PANSY theme, I made her a cross-stiched towel with a pansy on it, a pansy cross-stitched wall hanging, and put them in a basket with other pansy items, lik Pansy soap, Pansy writing paper, and this Pansy doll that I made. I cross-stitched her face, sewed her body, dress, apron, and pantaloons.

I made the afghan for a friend, the cross-stitched pillow for me, and the dress I crocheted for my granddaughter, It was one of her favorite dresses

With all the snow we had today, it really reminded me that it is winter and Christmas is coming.

Am I ready? Absolutely NOT! I have not had much opportunity to go shopping (and a very small budget to do so---like so many others I am sure)

I wanted to share with you some home made ornaments and gifts from years past. I had hoped to share more but (so far) I have not been able to find photographs of some of the things I have made...If I do find them, I will post later...

Are You ready for Christmas?

Blue Monday Paper cutting

Sally from http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

is hosting blue Monday on her blog...stop by to see the other wonderful BLUE Monday posts.

Sunday, June 28th would have been my Mother-in-law and Father-in-laws wedding Anniversary. So in their memory I am posting a picture that was given

to them from one of their friends. The friend did not want it back and gave it to me; it's a picture I treasure. It's done by hand, paper cutting called Scherenschnitt.

I've done a little bit of paper cutting but nothing as detailed as this.

"When there is love in the home there is joy in the heart."

You always felt the love in their home, and it did put Joy in my heart!

Favorite things Friday #12

By now, If you have been looking at my blog, you know that making greeting cards is one of my favorite things to make. Paper crafting has also been one of my favorite things to do, even as a child with cutting and pasting, and paper dolls, I was content with just giving me paper, paste, and scissors!

I made this "paper" house as a gift for my sister-in-law many years ago, but she still has it, and kindly took a photograph of it for me to post here. The pattern came from a Leisure Arts book "Christmas Gifts of Good Taste." I gave it to her with a loaf of pound cake inside the box. She now uses it to keep mail inside. The house is made with a shoe box, and paper twist. I made several of these to give away as gifts, they are easy to make but just a bit time consuming.

"Go often to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the Unused path." Ralph Waldo Emerson