Welcome February!

I have been busy working on this sampler for my grand-niece who turns 1 on February 6th.  Her birthday party is tomorrow so I wanted to finish it.  I used the "Bundle of Joy" Echo Park baby collection for this sampler and her card.  I printed off so many pictures of her smiling that it was hard to pick which ones to use.  She is always smiling!!  I used some stickers from the paper collection and dies from Marianne Designs, Spellbinders and from Tim Holtz.  She is so adorable!!  Her birthday card is below.  The inside of the card I made a little pocket for a gift certificate.

Happy 1st Birthday Tatum!

Inside card

After I finished the above project, I have been working on Valentine favors for friends that are coming next week for a "Craft Day".  They are fun and really easy to make.  I will provide the link below for this favor.  It measures 3 1/4 x 5 and has a little box inside for candy.  I have made this type of project before but bigger.

Valentine Candy inside

Made 8 in all! 

The link to make this is  https://chicnscratch.com/2019/01/hey-love-candy-box.html   Angie does a great job of explaining how to make this cute little project.    I have 6 people coming for Craft Day and this will be perfect for them. 

I'm also working on luminaries for the spring so I will post pictures shortly.  Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Valentine's Day!  I will also have to post pictures of my Craft Day with friends next week!!!

Tilda is back!!

I haven't used my Magnolia stamps in quite a while so I used them for this birthday card.  So happy that I did this because they are all so darn cute!  This card is for a high school friend's birthday who does so much for service men and women that the sentiment is sooooo appropriate for her.  I love this style card because it gives you so many panels to decorate--just perfect.  I think this is called a trifold accordion card, at least that is what I am calling it.  I also decorated the other side and I will show the opposite side in the picture below. 

Opposite side

Closed for mailing

I also wanted to show you my last project for 2018 which is a Bookatrix from Mixedup crafts.  She does a wonderful job with all of her tutorials that I will also put the link for this type of card.  Like her, I made a Christmas one but it is would be fun for any celebration. I put it on a wooden stand but she also shows you how to make a stand/easel and an envelope for this project.  The paper collection, I used, is from Photoplay.

                                                   https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34832597105405472/

Bookatrix

Left side

Right side

 Just a few pictures of our New Year together with my husband, son, daughter and my son's girlfriend, Sabrina out in San Francisco, Oakland and Bodega Bay!   Oh, and I can't forget Oscar, Eric's cute little dog. Just a little tidbit, Bodega Bay is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed most of the "The Birds" movie thriller.  Eric and Sabrina made us dinner one night with Dungeness Crab, shrimp, scallops, and mussels called Cioppino.  We had a wonderful time with them!  They were such good tour guides visiting where Sabrina works and visiting Napa Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway.  I can see why there are so many surfers in California, they waves are just unbelievable.  We don't have these waves in Maine, unless there is a storm.  Happy New Year everyone!!

View from our AirBNB

View out our window

Walking the beach

Fam walking the beach

Sunset

Surfers

Pacific Coast

Rainy, windy day

Sabrina took the pic

Inside our AirBNB

Cioppino--so good!

Happy 38th

Today is my  husband and mine 38th Anniversary!!  Here is the card that I made for him! I have been following Mixedup Crafts tutorials and she does a wonderful job explaining everything that she creates from the lanterns, train, and now this style card!  I will put the link to her tutorial below with some more pictures of this card. It is called an inside out card!  She makes it as a New Year's Card but it works for just about any type of card.  You will have plenty of room for you sentiment which is great! Just love it!!

                                               https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34832597105522659/

The front

How it is displayed

The back 

Merry Christmas to All!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse!  Finally all done with crafting, cleaning, decorating, cooking, shopping,  and wrapping!!  Love Christmas Eve when everyone can just relax and enjoy each other's company.  I am very grateful for healthy and happy family.  Wish our son could be here but we will see him soon and lucky to have our daughter nearby to help us celebrate Christmas tonight and tomorrow.  Here are some more pictures of what I have been up to, to make Christmas happy and fun!!  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

So much fun making this Christmas train!

These lanters are favors for family tomorrow

Christmas Cookies

More decorated Christmas cookies

Fabric Snowflake

Christmas Cards Have All Been Sent...

45 Cards all made

MFT Polar Bears

Loving these Polar bears from MFT's!  Here are the front of the cards that I made for my Christmas Cards this year.  The inside of the cards are scenic pop ups!  Love how the Polar bears are waving "Merry Christmas"!  They finally have all been sent and now just doing the last minute things like cooking and stocking stuffers!  I can't believe Christmas is only 1 week away from today!

Snowbanks sparkle!

Closer look

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday and we celebrated at Uno's with our good friend, Cindy! Below is the card that I made for his birthday!  He is a wonderful guy as you will see from the card.  Happy Birthday Russell!! Guess how old he is??

Marianne Designs  Panda Bears

Wonderful!

SU Balloons

Christmas Preparation!

I found this train tutorial on my favorite site, Pinterest!  I am going to use this for a centerpiece at Christmas!  It is my turn to have Christmas at our house so I am busy cleaning and making favors for Christmas!  The tutorial for this is below - the only difference is that I added a grill to the front of the train with a wreath!  Mixedup crafts does a wonderful job explaining this project. I also made a track for the train out of chipboard and just covered it with craft paper and a train track.  I copied the link from youtube so you can find the video there...

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2186&v=broSLev5FVs

Here are a few more pictures of the train.  I have elves managing the train!  The elves are from My Favorite Things which are so cute.  I encourage you to check out this video!  This is just so adorable for candy or that "special gift" because the engine is a box that opens up!! Perfect!

Front left side

The caboose!

Side Panel Birthday Cards

I found a video by mixedupcrafts of this Side Panel fold  cards.  It show cases Graphic 45 paper collections beautifully and I knew that my sisters, Chris and Connie would love it for their birthday cards which happens to be today.  We celebrated their birthdays yesterday which was a lot of fun!  The link for this style card is below...

                                       https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34832597105391802/

It reminds me of a scene stepper or center fold type card.  I love finding new types of cards to make-- it is neverending which I love!  The paper collections from Graphic 45 are Fairie Dust and Ladies Diaries.  Both collections are so beautiful!! I put the sentiments on the back of the card which is pictured below.  Happy Birthday Chris & Connie--I won't tell anyone how old you are!!

Last weekend my husband and I with friends went to the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.  It is called Garden's A-Glow.  It is the second year that we have gone and it is bigger this year and so gorgeous.  It definitely got us in the Christmas spirit!!  Check out some pictures--

The Group!