Happy Thanksgiving

Turkey, dressing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and more.  But the best part of my Thanksgiving Day is having some of my children and grandchildren here.  Lots of noise, lots of laughter, lots of messes, lots of love.  "Thank you, Lord, for all of the above and more. You have blessed me beyond measure and it is my joy to give you thanks, not only today but especially today as we recount some of the many things you have given to us and done for us."

Happy Thanksgiving to you, my followers.  I do hope you have a wonderful day.  And if you go shopping tomorrow, know that you are a more courageous (or maybe nutty) person than I.  I will be home continuing to enjoy my family and leftovers.

Oh,  I almost forgot !  The card !  The image is Bugaboo who is our sponsor this month at Die Cut Divas.  The challenge is Any Holidays.  There are only three more days for the challenge.  Hope you can get a card entered.  We would love to see you there.

Challenges:
My Craft Spot - Thanksgiving
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Crafty Sentiments - use die cut
Di's Digis - with a kid
Cards Galore - anything
V's Sweet Ideas - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Simon Wednesday - anything

Pumpkin Spice - YUM!

Pumpkins Spice - one of my favorite lattes.  I seriously want one every day from October through December but I am way too frugal to spend money on a latte everyday.  And besides, I don't get in the car every day. So.......I made my own pumpkin spice syrup and unlike most pumpkin spice coffee syrups, mine actually has pumpkin puree in it.

My daughter flipped when she had one of the lattes with this syrup so I made a jar for her.  What is a gift in a mason jar without decorating it?  Around the lid I put some SU washi tape.  In my publishing program I super imposed the latte coffee cup ( Doodle Pantry Biscotti)  on top the pumpkin (Doodle Pantry Fall Patterns).  After printing it onto a sheet of computer paper to make sure I liked it and it was the right size, I then put the tag onto the computer paper with temporary mono adhesive tape runner  making sure it was in the right place so I could print onto the tag.  I printed the leaf (Doodle Pantry Fall Patterns) off to the side on the paper so I could cut it out and glue it to the top of the tag.
Two colors of twine, the colors of the pumpkin, attach the tag to the jar.
Those are enough details - I'm off to make myself a latte.

Challenges:
My Craft Spot - Fall
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Wags and Whiskers - add leaves
Party Time Tuesday - anything
Through the Craft Room Door  - anything 

Leftovers BEFORE Thanksgiving

It has been several years since I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  This year I am fortunate enough to be the hostess.  It will be small (compared to other years) with 14 of us and I am looking forward to it.  One of the benefits of having it at my house is the leftovers.  I love them.
At the Kraft Journal, the challenge this week is leftovers, but we aren't really talking food.  Here is a card I made with leftovers.

I will be the first to admit I go over-board saving pieces of cardstock, designer paper, twine, ribbon, etc., etc.  This card is full of leftovers from previous projects and pieces of scraps.
The dinosaur was made a few months ago and has been sitting in the "pieces to be used" box. (Yes, I really do have one!)  The grass, which is really an icicle die, was cut out a while ago too.  The evergren tree is made with a scrap of forest green cardstock and a piece of Lunch Bag Kraft Cardstock.  The foot print is Kraft and Brown Kraft.  The sky is a leftover piece of Doodle Pantry digital paper.
The card base is Brown Kraft .  The twine is my favorite Earthy Hemp Cord.
The words and sentiment are computer generated.
So do you have leftovers that need to be used/  We, at The Kraft Journal, would love to see what you do with them.

Challenges:
Di's Digis Challenge - for kids
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything

Bushels of Thanks

Here is another card I made with Diane's Daydream Designs sets, Bushel and a Peck, Give Thanks to the Lord, and Signs of Fall.

I love all these sets and I really enjoy working with pre-colored images. The colors in the verse are already done for me.  What a great idea and saves me the trouble of tweaking them in my publisher program.
The button is cut with a  MFT die and threaded with twine from the Kraft Outlet.
I considered putting a die cut cardstock frame around the verse but decided to just use the Spellbinders  die to emboss a frame.  I like the openness that it gives the card.
You can't see it in the photo but the pumpkin and leaves in front of it are popped up with a dimesional. 
If this is the last time you will be visiting my blog before Thanksgiving Day, let me take this time to wish you a wonderful one.  And remember to give thanks to Whom thanks is due.  God is the giver of all perfect gifts and He is good; His love does endure forever.

Challenges:

Sweet Stamps - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Die Cuttin Divas - Thanksgiving
Party Time Tuesday - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Simon Wednesday - Thanksgiving
Meljen - thanks
2 Cute - orange, brown, yellow
Great Impressions - Thankful thoughts
Words 2 Scrap By - gratitude

What's Hot Wednesday With Twill Tape

It is What's Hot Wednesday at the Kraft Journal.  What am I featuring?  Twill Ribbon.  I love using it and the Kraft Journal has several fun designs to choose from.   But I also used some other products found at the Kraft Outlet.

For this first card  I started with Buff Ivory Cardstock.  I put black cardstock behind Dictionary Page,  then I used a library card and pocket.  The words at the top are stickers but I wanted a message on the card so I printed out a sentiment from Ginger's House.

 

The alarm clock by Gina K Designs in the center is embossed with gold.  Don't you love the twill ribbon with the clock faces? 

Here is another card - this time using Vintage Key Twill Ribbon - so pretty.

For this card I used a piece of a Dictionary page, distressing the edges and adding a little copper embossing.  The heart lock is a GKD stamp.  The main panel is backed with Brown Kraft Cardstock.  The key, which is cut with a die, is tied on with some of my favorite Natural Hemp Cord.

I hope your liked these ideas of how to use twill ribbon.
BTW there are a few more days to play the sketch challenge at the Kraft Journal.  We would love to see your entries.

Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Cards Galore - anything
Party Time Tuesday  - anything
Stamp and Create - ribbons or bows
Frosted Designs - white space

Joy At Christmastime

Sometimes during the Holiday Season, especially after shopping, I think I could collapse into a chair and drink a cup of cocoa this big.  Definitely could if it were peppermint flavored.

This cute image is by Bugaboo, the sponsor at Die Cut Divas this month.  He is colored with Prisma pencils.  The three circle layers are all cut out with Spellbinder dies and my Cuttlebug.  Those red and white dots are paper dots.  Really like them because they don't add much "bump" for mailing.
There are still almost 2 weeks left in the Die Cut Diva's Challenge - Any Holidays.  We would love to see your entries.

Challenges:
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything
Craft 4 Eternity - bright colors
Crafty Sentiments - 2 or more papers
Stamp and Create - ribbon
Without Words - prepare for Christmas

Autumn Decorations

Last week I showed you one of the projects I made for the Craft Fair.  Here is another one.  It was fun making these, giving each a different look.  Here are two more that I took pics of before the fair.

For each of the banners that I made, I used Doodle Pantry Monogram letters.

Here are some close ups:

The original idea for these came from Sharron Johnson at JustRite.  Years ago she made these accordion decorations for Christmas.  I CASED the idea.  In fact I made a bunch of them for the Craft Fair.  But as I was making them, my daughter said I should make some for Thanksgiving.  I ended up selling more of those than the Christmas ones!  I will be showing some of the Christmas ones in a later post.

Challenges:
Party Time Tuesday - anything
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
V's Sweet Ideas - anything
Craft 4 Eternity - bright colors
Stampin Boutique - thankful
2 Cute - yellow, orange, brown
Di's Digi - fall colors
Great Impressions - special thanks
Paper Creators - anything
Wags and Whiskers - add some leaves

Who Is Ready For Christmas?

Well, not me but I am playing around with some of the winter/Christmas digital images and digital papers at Diane's Daydream Designs trying to get a jump on it.

I bought this clear ornament last time I was in a craft store, not knowing what I was going to do with it.  I have been playing around with canning jars, filling them with various items and wicks for lanterns so I gave it a go with the ornament,  stuffing some greenery in first and then adding the deer and blue flower (in the background).  The deer already looks like it has glitter on it when it is printed but I added Stickles all over to really make it sparkle.  If I make another one, I think I will go easy on myself and glue the deer to the outside instead of trying to fit him through the top.  Getting him flat again and just the right placement was a little difficult.
BTW, the paper in the background is also Diane's Daydream Design digital paper.   Love it.
Here is a pic of the set:

And one of the paper pack:

I used to paint tree ornaments.  After a serious cut to my index and third finger, I lost the feeling in my index finger.  That is when I stopped painting.  I keep telling myself to get back to it but I have so much fun with paper, I hate to give that time up for painting! Who knows, maybe someday.  But this is the new ornament that will go on my tree this year.


Challenges:
Pile It On - special occasions
Simon Monday - ornaments
Paper Takes - 2 or 4 legs
Party Time Tuesday - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday -anything
Paper Creators - anything goes
Stamp and Create - ribbon or bows
Sister Act -anything

Craft Fair Goodies

For a few months I have been making things like crazy for a Craft Fair.  It was this last weekend but unfortunately I had to miss 2 of the 3 days due to illness.  As a result, I have a ton of things left over.  Here is one item  - Advent Boxes.

The idea and the Kraft boxes came from Stampin Up.  I did not want to buy another stamp set so I bought the boxes but made my own numbers with the Doodle Pantry set  "Classical Numbers".   The numbers in words are computer generated.  Here is a pic of all the numbers in the set.  You can see there are two styles as well as solid and outline:

Each box is 2 x 2 and can be filled with candy, nuts, snack mix, verse or sentiment, really whatever you want you child to have each day before Christmas.  One lady bought a set for an elderly couple who live in a senior community so I guess they are not just for kids.  I'm tempted to fill a set with Lindt Chocolate balls for myself.  Would that make me limit the candy to one a day?  No, but it was a nice thought.

I fell in love with this idea when I saw it in the SU catalog.  I am always on the lookout for a fun, cute advent calendar.  This was it!  I made 4 for my grandchildren.
Because I do have quite a few left over, if you would be interested in one, you can email me at
mkdrain@gmail.com and we can make Paypal arrangements.  I had them priced at $20 but for you, my special peeps, I will pay the postage.  Now I sound like a TV infomercial !!!


Challenges:
Pile it On - special occasions
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Party Time Tuesday - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Paper Creators - anything goes

Sugar and Spice and Peppermints

It is a good thing I am on some design teams or else I would not be thinking Christmas yet.  I am such a procrastinator when it comes to making Christmas cards.  But here is one that I made with a cute Bugaboo digital image which I thought might be fun to send to one of my granddaughters in December.

The image is colored with Prisma pencils.  Designer paper is just miscellaneous Christmas paper in my stash.  The candy sticks and the four mints in the corner are pre-colored digital images by Doodle Pantry which I printed then cut out and popped onto the card.
The circle and scalloped circle are cut out with MFT (circle) and Spellbinder (scalloped) dies.

The challenge this month at Die Cut Divas is Any Holiday.  Make a card and enter it for a chance to win some Bugaboo digital images.

Word Art Wednesday - anything
Sister Act - anything
Without Words - preparing for Christmas
Papertakes - 2 or 4 legs
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Crafty Sentiments - anything
Clear it Out - 3 of same (gems)

Tall and Skinny

The challenge this week at the Kraft Journal is Tall and Skinny.  I don't make many cards that are not A-2 but I had fun designing this letter size card. It is 4" x 8 1/2".

I got a kick out of this sentiment that I found at Ginger's House.  The background papers and cleaning items are Doodle Pantry images.  Lots of cute images in this set:

The card base is Light Kraft Cardstock from the Kraft Outlet.  After fussy cutting the cleaning items, I glued them onto a Grungy Prim Tag (already had the dirty stains !)   which is tied on to three strands of blue cord from the Dark Jewel Hemp Cord pack.

Please check out both the Kraft Outlet for wonderful card making supplies and the Doodle Pantry for fabulous digital sets. 

Challenges:
Papertakes - anything
Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Paper Creators - anything

Give Thanks to the LORD

As we get ready for Thanksgiving Day, let us remember to whom our thanks is due.  This verse is by Diane's Daydream Designs.

For a long time I stayed away from the chalkboard look, but the more I use it, the more I like it.  So I printed this verse out in white, superimposing it onto a chalkboard found in another one of Diane's digital designs, Sings of Fall.  The basket, gourds, and leaves(all pre-colored) are from the Bushel and a Peck set.
I popped up the pumpkin and the leaves with dimensionals.
There is another beautiful verse available from Diane's Daydream Designs at Word Art Wednesday this week.  Diane's Daydream Designs is one of the sponsors.

Thank you for looking.  May you know that God's love does endure forever.

Challenges:
Great Impressions - special thanks
Words2Scrap By - gratitude
Wags and Whiskers - let us be thankful
Your Next Stamp - colors
Crafty Catz - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Papertake - anything
Cards Galore - anything
Our Daily Bread - Thanksgiving card
Stampin Boutique - Autumn colors

Your're a Hoot

This week at The Kraft Journal the challenge is "Critters".  Well, this little critter is about as cute as they come.  He is made with Elizabeth Craft dies.  One of my daughters loves owls so this card will be for her.

I started with Kraft Outlet Brown Kraft and used it for the base; also for the tree trunk and branch which I cut out with the Silhouette and then embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  The sky is Doodle Pantry digital paper.  The leaves are cut with dies, Silhouette, and punches.  Two of those leaves are cut from Dictionary Pages found at the Kraft Outlet.  I used my favorite twine, the Natural Hemp Cord  for the bow.
We, at the Kraft Journal, would love to see your critter.

Challenges:
Sweet Stamps - spooky 
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Simon Wednesday - anything 
Crafters Cafe - wings
Frosted Designs - mixed media
Crafty Catz - anything
Crafty Creations - bows
Clear It Out - orange

Pumpkin Pie. Yumm!

November 1st.  As the beauty of Autumn fades away, the sights and sounds of the holidays begin.   Thanksgiving Day will be here before you know it.  Do you send out Thanksgiving Cards?  I do.  Here is the latest I made with a new pre-colored digital image by Doodle Pantry.

Don't you love those patterned papers that come with the set? 

The card base is a GKD Dark Chocolate.  The other cardstock I used for backing the fishtail and the oval is SU Baked Brown Sugar.  (I thought it was the ugliest color when it came in the mail but find myself using it a lot.)
The beautiful seam binding ribbon can be found at the Kraft Outlet. 

So today is the November Release at the Doodle Pantry store (must look) and also the new challenge at the Doodle Pantry Digital Challenge blog.   Hope to see you there.

Challenges:
Simon Monday - treats
Crafty Sentiments - something sweet
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Simon Wednesday - anything
Pennys Paper Crafting - anything
Sister Act - anything

November Centerpiece

Are you ready for a new challenge at Die Cut Divas?  This month the challenge is "Anything Holidays".
This year Thanksgiving will be at my house.  I am already in my planning mode.  This digital image by Bugaboo, our sponsor this month, reminded me that I need a centerpiece for the tables.  (yes, tables - plural)

For this card, I cut out the image with a Spellbinder die, layering it with another cut.  The leaves are  cut out with  Cuttlebug dies.
Burlap ribbon and twine are at the Kraft Outlet.  The background designer paper is digital paper by GKD. 
Today begins the challenge at the Die Cut Diva's Challenge.  Hope to see your "anything Holidays" entries.

Through the Craft Room Door - anything
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Pennys Paper Crafting - anything
Sister Act - anything
Stamp and Create - Autumn
Crafty Creations - brad, button, or bow