Thank You Terri!!!

There is a few of us girls on the PC MB that have become quite close, we have a thread on the Cricut Chat called "Cricut Crafting Friends" and Terri asked what we thought of doing a Secret Santa with the 8 of us.  Of course we all loved that idea, so Terri's hubby drew our names and paired us up with our "person".  We decided that $15 was to be our limit.  We could buy a gift, craft a gift or both.  Terri had my name and she got me so really cool embossing folders!  I just love them and the one is really unusual.

The first one is a Notebook Paper folder by Paper Studio.  Is this cool or what?? I will be using this one for back to school cards for my  friends and for school lo's of when I worked at school and for my youngest DS.

This next one is the one that I think is so unusual!  It is called "Tropical Paisley".  I can see this one will be so pretty on femine cards and lo's!!  Isn't this just beautiful?? This one is by Sizzex.

And the last one is a very cool embossing folder.  It is a diamond embossing folder with little diamonds inside the big diamond.  I think this one will work on masculine cards as well as femine cards!  Just love it!!!  This is a Sizzex folder too.  Isn't it fabulous?!!

So you can see that I made out very well!! lol  Thank you so much Terri, I just love these embossing folders!!!!

Wishing You All ....

A Very Merry Christmas!!!!  I pray that you all have a blessed day with your family and friends.  And I hope that you all take the time to celebrate Jesus' birthday!  I so love the Christmas story and never tire of hearing it at church every year. 

Here is a few pics of our Christmas tree in our teeny tiny living room. lol  Tis the season!!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!

Breast Cancer Gift

A teacher at my school (she was our youngest son's kindergarten teacher) has just found out that she has breast cancer.  She is the second teacher at our school to go through this journey.  Our school Christmas luncheon is this week and I am taking these items in to her.  One is a cute little snowman with his black and pink hat (socks) with his breast cancer ribbon on, I also made a glitter ornament with a pink ribbon and the word "hope" on it in pink vinyl as well as a personalized portfolio with note cards.  I have a black and pink breast cancer scarf that I will tie on the basket or bag that I put the items in for her.  I will be praying that she gets through this difficult journey.

Cute Little Gifts!

Aren't these little fellows so cute?!!  They make perfect "thinking of you" gifts, stocking stuffer, for the mail person, etc...I made these to go in with a Christmas gift.  One was for a friend and the other with the purple hat is for the girl from our Angel Tree from our church.  Now wondering how I made these???  How about what's in them????  Well let me tell you!  Purchase a jumbo/large candy bar or even a small box of chocolates-my store had the bars buy one get one free, next you will need spa socks/footies OR stretch gloves-the kind you can get at Wal-Mart or the $ Store.  Take white paper and wrap around your candy bar.  Take the sock or glove and put on has a hat, tuck the extra one up in the hat (so they have a matching pair OR you can get two gifts from one pair) stamp a cute little face on, add a sentiment and Oh lala, you have a cute little gift!!  Now wasn't that easy?!!  For the glove hat I tied a ribbon around the fingers of the glove so it looks like the pom pom on a hat and for the sock, I used a safety pin and pinned on the pom pom because I want whom ever I give this to to be able to wear it and if I hot glued the pom pom on it would mess the sock up.  Now if you are't giving the pair  and you are making two from the pair of socks, then you can go ahead and glue the pom pom on.  This certainly wasn't my original idea, I found this idea while blog hopping one day.  Now I bet you are wondering where you get these cute little faces, right?!  Well let me give you the link for them!! They are Peachy Keen faces and they have tons of cute stamps!!!  Go check them out and get yourself a few!  Not that I'm enabling or anything! ;-)  If you have any questions give me a hollar!!  bsl60@embarqmail.com

Update on Chris

Here is an update on Chris from my friend, Pat.  Chris is her nephew.  She talked to her sister and this is what she said:

I spoke with my sister tonight. They went back to Geisinger around 3:30. Chris was still running a low grade fever and his blood counts were very low so they wanted them back to monitor him. He'll be there at least 48 hrs. They are hoping to do a blood transfusion tomorrow and give him antibiotics. Hope all this works. Tough on the family to have to leave the 17 yr. old and the dog with my dad.

I told Mary Kay that you sent over a bag of crafts - she said to thank you very much. She also mentioned that Chris opened about 10 cards today - thanks for your help in getting those cards sent to him. He does enjoy getting them, and he appreciates the time and effort that goes into making them. I know they always like the cards I send them.

Take care. I'll keep you informed. Thanks again! Pat

So as you can see he is enjoying his cards very much!  Thank you ladies so much for doing this for him!!!

Crafting Hugs, Brenda

Gift Monograms Note Cards Portfolio

Hello crafty friends!  I have a cute project today that makes a great gift!!  It was very easy to make, you don't need your Cricut to make it if you don't have one. Stamps and punches will work just fine.  I did use my Cricut, the carts I used are: Mini Monograms, Flower Shoppe and the Billionaire Lite cart.  If you want to make these portfolios click here for the directions!! I am entering this in the Fantabulous Monday Challenge.

Welcome Home Banner

I am happy to say that our son is back in the states, safe and sound from his deployment to Afghan!!!  Here is the banner that I made to welcome him home when he got off the bus. t!! It been a long year and he is just glad to be home!! He has already set up his classes at Penn State Harrisburg and gotten an apartment all before he left Afghan!!  Can you tell he was ready to get back to the states?!! lol  I thank God that he was protected while over there.  He is MP and he guarded that not so bad prisoners, so he wasn't out in the battlefield part so to say.  But of course we still worried because there is no place to me that is really safe over there!  For my banner and letters I used the Birthday Bash Cricut cart, I welded my "welcome" letters to the top of the banner to cut out as one piece.  I made rosettes to place my letters "home" on and the yellow ribbons.  I used the Cricut Indepenced Day cart for the red, white and blue "banner" at the end of my banner.  "My Hero" and "Welcome Home Soldier" and the "ribbons" are from the Stand and Salute Cricut Cart.  Thanks for looking my friends and for sharing in our joyous news!!

Sad, sad day in my community and school district

It is with a heavy heart that make this post today.  Yesterday about 2:45 pm 5 teens from our school lost their lives in a horrific accident.  There was one senior, 3 juniors and one sophomore.  The sophomore rode the bus with my son.  The car for some unknown reason, swerved into the path of a pick up truck hauling an empty horse trailer.  The truck tried to avoid the teens, but when he slammed on his brakes, his trailer kept the momentum going.  The teens were killed instantly.  The car had to be picked up in pieces.  The family in the truck where not injured physically, I'm sure they will have emotional scars. The Gettysburg State Police has ruled out speed and alcohol as a factor in this accident.  A small blessing. Please, please keep all these teens families in your prayers this holiday season, they have a difficult journey ahead of them. 

On to much happier news.  Our son is back in the states from Afghan!!  He will be home in a few days and we are super excited to welcome him home!!!  I have a banner that we will be holding for when he gets off the bus at his home unit.  I will share that very soon.  Thanks to all who kept him in your prayers this whole year.  It is good to have him back home safe and sound.  But with that said, our oldest will be deploying sometime in '12.  This will be his 4th or 5th deployment.  I know how can I lose track right?  Well after a while you have to just let it go because if you dwell on it all the time it will literally drive you crazy with worry!!! That's not to say that I don't dwell at all, Lord knows I'm a worrier!!  I tell you it doesn't get any easier once they are grown!!

Have a wonderful day my crafty friends and I will be back soon with some projects for you.  Some I just haven't posted yet, but soon will.  Blessings and hugs, Brenda

A Huge Favor to Ask

Happy Sunday everyone! It is a beautiful day here today, although there is some snow in the forecast for this week.   I have a huge favor to ask of you all.  A friend of mine has a nephew who just found out that he has cancer.  He is only 12 years old, a huge journey he has ahead of him.  I wanted to make this journey a little easier for him by letting him know that we are all pulling and praying for him.  So.....(yep here comes the favor!) if you could send him a card with encouraging thoughts he would so love that and I would so love it too.  He is a crafty little boy so he would love home made cards and I know he would be so surprised to get lots of cards through the mail.  It would help keep his spirits up while going through chemo and with the holidays upon us, it would help his parents to see smiles on his face because we have sent cards to him.  So what do you say?  Are you with me??  Lets shower this little boy with encouraging cards!!!  Thank you so much all my crafty friends, you are all just so awesome!
 Big Hugs, Brenda


Chris Palumbo
5 Spring Street
Waverly, NY  14892

Thanks again everyone and if you could please pass this along.  The more cards we can get out to him the more joy that we will give him!!

Grace Journal

Hello my friends, hope you first day of December is going well.  Although I can't believe that it is December and Christmas is right around the corner!!!  Yikes!  I have not decorated at all yet, I like to let Thanksgiving and November to get by first. lol  So now I guess I will get on it.  My project today is a Grace Journal, now I know you all are asking what the heck is a grace journal. Well it is going to be a journal that I will write in every day.  Everyday I will list three things that I am grateful/thankful for.  It is for people who live with medical problems to help keep us from getting depressed because we still have so much to be grateful for.  You can read more HERE.

I used a premade notebook and just covered it with papers that I printed with the Imagine.  I used Imagine Cards and more for the front cover and the inside of my front/back cover.  I used the green on the inside as well.  The butterflies look washed out, but they are that same green as the border and a pretty blue.  I used scrap vinyl for the title and my name, thought that would hold up a little better than cardstock lettering, but cardstock can be used instead.

On the back cover I used paper printed from my Imagine using the cart Best Friends.

I hope that you think about doing a Grace Journal, it can be so good for the soul!!  Have a happy one my friends!!

Thankful Mini out of Toilet Paper Tubes

Hi all my crafty friends, did you think I dropped off the face of the earth??? lol I didn't, but have been busy with Thanksgiving and all. Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and had much to be thankful for.  I know we do!!  Which brings me to my post for today.  I made a little mini out of toilet papers tubes to house tags that list what we are thankful for this year.  I love it, even though it isn't quite done all the way yet.  I have our names on each one and a tag that everyone who ate here filled out.  It will be nice to reflect back on in the future.  I used the Cricut cart, Thanksgiving, for all my die cuts.  The flower I made a while back and not sure what cart I used for the flower.  Thanks as always for looking/commenting and I please know how very thankful Iam for you all!!  Hugs, Brenda

Cute little Turkeys and Mini Hand sanitizers gift boxes

Happy Saturday to all my crafty friends!  I have some cute little turkeys that can do double duty!  They are a little treat as well as can be used a name cards on your Thanksgiving table!!  I idea came from Laura at The Queen's Card Castle.  Aren't they just the cutest?! lol  I didn't make mine a family like Laura did, but still think they are super cute.  All you need is a circle punch, a scallop punch, a flower punch and some nuggets.  I will be adding the names of my family to my turkey feathers and using them on the plates at Thanksgiving dinner. Very easy and simple to make these!!

Now on to the Hand Sanitizer boxes.  I used the mini santitizers that you get at Bath and Body, 5 for $5.  You can find the directions on how to make this cute little box here.  These are cute little boxes and the hand sanitizers make cute little gifts or stocking stuffers. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and get to craft something for Christmas!  Hugs, Brenda

Advent Calendar

Hi all my crafty friend!  I have an advent calendar for you tonight.  My SU demonstrator got advents calendars for those of us who wanted one and of course I was on that wagon right away. lol  Any way it is a wooden base and chipboard boxes.  I inked my wood with Vintage Photo distress ink and then added my paper.  I then used my Cricut carts, French Manor for the window, Christmas Solution for the reindeer and santa, and the swag in the window, George Basic Shapes and More for the moon and Winder Woodland for the trees.  I used a mix of Christmas papers for the boxes and inked with with the Vintage Photo distress ink also.  The chipboard numbers came with the advent calendar and I just used stickles on the bare chipboard.  I think that covers it. lol  Hope you like my advent calendar!

Fall and Christmas Cards

Hi my crafty friends, hope your weekend was fabulous!  I had a very enjoyable day yesterday making cards with a friend!!  Here are my cards, no Cricut, but I used my Cuttlebug embossing folders and stamps.  I am happy with the way they came out.  For the pumpkin, the leaf and the snowflake I used this tutorial to make them look so beautiful!!!  Thank you Suzanne for your wonderful tutorial!!  I hope you will try this tutorial my crafty friends, it is a lot of fun and the end results are gorgeous!! You will not be disappointed and it looks even more better in person!  Enjoy your week!

If it is Fall, it's Football Time!

Yep, it is football season.  While high school football is winding down, the NFL is going strong and my guys are huge football fans.  My youngest (almost 16) can talk, watch, and play football 24/7. If there isn't a game on then he has the NFL channel on.  Like I said football 24/7! lol  Well over at Die Cutting Divas they are having a football challenge so I decided to get my son's 16th birthday card done for when his birthday comes in Jan and enter it in the challenge.  I did a step card using Sports Mania cart, Paper Dolls for Everyday and Martha Steward Seasonal Cake cart.  I am going to enter this card in MySheri Crafts, they are having a sports challenge as well. I think he is gonna love this card!  I hope you like it as well.

Thank You Card

I really love this thank you card.  I used my Imagine to make 11 of these, 10 are for someone else and one for me. lol  I printed the tan card stock with Imagine More Cart and the "champagne" looking pattern paper with the Blossom Cart.  I used Lacey Labels for my shape and sentiment.  I also printed both of those and then cut them out on the Imagine as well.  Added embossing with the Cuttlebug folder, Textiles, a few pearls and call it done.  I think it made for an elegant Thank You card.  What do you think?

A Few Cards

Hello my crafty friends.  On Saturday a teacher friend came over and we made cards while the snow fell, and fall it did!! We got quite a few inches of wet, heavy snow.  Down came huge tree limbs as well as the power lines. We were lucky as we didn't lose our power, but we did lose huge tree limbs in our front yard.  So onto the cards, I didn't get many made, but here are a few.  I didn't use my Cricut, but did use my Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders as well as MS web punch and branch punch, CM heart punches, SU sentiment stamp, My Pink Stamper sentiment stamp and Just Rite stamps.