Happy Holidays to you all

With the Celebrations close at hand and the arrival of out of town guests,I am finding that they are so many small details that need attention.

I would like to wish you all a Safe and Happy Holidays!

Hope to share with you all again in the New Year!

"Christmas Around the World"

What a Holiday treat for Digital Scrapbookers!

"Christmas Around the World" is a collaboration of digital designers from around the world spreading the Holiday Cheer,the kits will be available for FREE download from December 10th thru the 16th.

Even if you are not a digital Scrapper..within the kits you will find many elements from the contribution of 78 designers that would work so well for those Holiday Hybrid projects or layouts.

Three Cheers to all the talented digital artists that contributed to this project!!

And a big Thanks to Kim for bringing this project to life.

Remember they are only available for one week...so stop on by and pick out your favorites while still available.

(a little sneak peek of three of the kits contributed by MooTwo Designs and

ScrappyCats Designs )

"Christmas Around the World Kits"

Dress up those packages

Wrapping Paper Jean Marie

box by Craft ideas

Tags by Jessica Acs

Martha's Ribbon

Decorations are up,the tree is trimmed and the holiday shopping is in full force.

Instead of the traditional wrapping paper that is found in your local stores ,why not take the time to give those holiday gifts a special touch of your own.

A few ideas that I came across that I found helpful.

A tutorial by Martha Stewart to help give you the perfect bow every time.

And of course we need some cute little Christmas tags to add to our beautiful ribbons.

Here is a tutorial by Jessica Acs for some Holiday tags courtesy of iScrap that really add to the holiday spirit of your packages.

How about your own little gift box for that special little Holiday treat that you would like to share .While you are visiting check out all the other fun projects that are available for your viewing at Craft ideas lots of Holiday Inspiration to be found.

One of my favorite sites Country Living has some helpful ideas for Holiday packaging and wrapping

My personal favorite is to stamp onto plain Crafting paper with my Holiday Stamps,add a touch of ribbon and you have added not only your own personal touch to your gift but also to the wrapping.

Some other wonderful Holiday ideas may be found on these sites....Have fun!

Autumn Photo Challenge

Today,is the last day for the Autumn Photo Challenge hosted by

Deanne Burton's "Autumn Photos Blog Spot".

Out of a list of 50 I managed to commit myself to 30..not to bad for a first time challenge.

Still in the infant stages of learning how to become friends with my camera and all that it can do for me ,I thought this would be a good beginning.

I learnt a few thing by the end of this challenge...the most important...make sure I had my camera with me and ready to go...you just never know when a photo op...will reveal itself to you.

As I looked thru the list...I was very excited to try Challenge #5 ,birds flying South.

I live directly under the migrating path of the birds flying down from the North Country and look forward to the sound of their calls to each other as they fly over in search of the many fields and ponds that are located in my area. Here they will rest for a time span as they gather to make the long journey South.

The tricky part of this particular challenge was all in the timing and the weather,they like to pass over my house,very early in the morning under the cover of fog..which is plentiful here in the fall.

Thinking that I may have missed my chance ...I heard them coming from a distance and knew from the sound they where many and would be in pattern.

The Geese were flying low and the sky was clear,with a couple of snaps in a moment I had my shot.

The most challenging for me was #14 dancing leaves..the trees in my yard had reached full color and they where calling for rain...not only did it rain but a wind blew in so strong that I knew my trees would be bare soon...I waited for the rain to take a brief break and was able to catch many shots of the leaves in my yard dancing about.

The photo I submitted for this challenge is my favorite because the leaves seem to be just hanging in the air.

Participating in this challenge has helped me to look at the world around me a little bit closer...little details that you would otherwise overlook ,in a second reveal another side.

I am looking forward to future challenges by Deanne and hope that in time the quality of my shots will improve and I will be able to complete all the photo challenges on the list.

If you would like to see my photos for the Challenge you may view them here.

And if you have the chance check out the participants of this challenge and there interpretations,you may find links to them here .Well done Ladies!!

And a big Thanks to Deanne for taking the time to host this fun and inspiring challenge.

I would recommend anyone to give this a try not only is it fun ,it is a great learning experience.

Traditional Advent Calendar

Growing up in our house we always had an Advent calendar to help count down the four Sundays before Christmas.

Times have changed and so have the many types of Calendars that may be found to help count down the days before Christmas.

With a tutorial located in the tutorial Section of iScrap designed by Jessica Acs,

My advent Calendar was easy and fun to make.

I used coloring book pages scaled to size for my pocket covers, and traditional advent activities located on the web to my tags with some fun activities scattered in the mix.

Glitter Gel pens to add some glitz.

Lots of fun and easy to make project..so many possibilities to make this tutorial work for your personal Holiday celebrations.

Holiday Craft Inspiration

As the Holiday season is upon us,many extra tasks are added to our everyday normal routine,

and the stress level begins to rise.

For me unwinding at the end of the day,consists of heading to my craft room to create.

With not much time allowed for large projects ..I search the web for simple and fun holiday inspiration to get me in the spirit.

Here are a few that I have come across and would like to share.

INSTRUCTIONS

candy cane vase

snowmen gift cans

Candy Wreath

Santa Advent Calender

Paper Crafts

Happy Thanksgiving

Fun Weekend

What fun was had at the Birthday Celebration hosted at Scrapbook Heaven .

Lot's of fun,games and challenges to choose from.

For me it was all about finding my MoJo for Paper scrapping again.

Since learning digital scrapping this summer I have been devoting

most of my time to learning this type of Scrapbooking and was

finding it hard to get back into my paper,

unless I was working on a craft project.

I did manage to do 4 layouts,2 cards and build a Scrapbook Kit!

The kit was fun to do..next time I place and online order this is the way

I am going to go about it instead of just picking random items that catch my eye.

So a big shout out and Thank you to the DT Members

for putting on such a fun and creative

crop and helping me find MoJo again for Paper LOs.

And a big thank you to all the ScrapBook heaven members of the forum

for a warm welcome...it was a fun time !

What a creative group of Scrappers!

Holiday Gift Card Holders

In my home during the Holiday Season all small gift packages

and special envelopes become part a of our families Christmas tree decorations.

BHG's "Creative Collections" Holiday Crafts Magazine 2007 Issue,

featured a stocking gift card designed by One Heart_One Mind

I thought it was a clever idea.

Using the pattern insert that came with my magazine.

I found it very fast and easy to make..creating three cards in a row.

Now that I had the fundamentals down for this card ..time to add my own twist.

The pattern called for covering both sides of a Stocking chipboard shape with Paper of your choosing....I used instead for my stocking a cardboard insert that came from my 4X6 Photo Paper Pack.

Punched 2 small holes on the top left inside of gift card to add ribbon for hanging.

You can use your favorite Stocking & gift card envelope templates to create this card.

Birthday Scrap~a~bration

Oh Boy...it's a Birthday Bash at Scrapbook Heaven

they will be hosting an all weekend crop on their message board.

"Scrapbook Heaven" was my first online experience in shopping online for supplies.

The need grew from such a limited amount of supply stores in my area.

I was very pleased with the products and prices...my order was at my door

before the week was out.

All arriving in excellent condition ..they also threw in an extra goodie..as a thank you.

How nice was that!

Since that time I have branched out to many other stores and my first online store

went to the back of the line....why I have no idea.

In my adventures of online shopping,Scrapbook Heaven

is one that has stood at the top of my list for Customer Service.

Still keep their business card taped to my desk as a reminder.

Revisiting their site again this morning,

I discovered that I recognised some of the DTMs who will be hosting the crop.

Have participated in some online crops with some of these talented ladies

on other sites and they were always so much fun!

They have a timeline and project list posted already.

Check it out and see if you might have time to fit some of this

into your downtime this weekend.

Lots of fun filled inspiration to get some of those pages completed.

Thanks Deanne for the heads up on this weekend online Party!

Shout out to Jacqueline....maybe we can get in on the fun this time :) !!

Hybrid Holiday Planner

I can now share my hybrid Project created as an example for the Holiday Party at DragonFlaireStudios.

They released "The Scrapper's Holiday Planner" at their Holiday Party last night.

What fun I had with this project....so many options for creating with this Digital Kit.

I decided on a Holiday Travel Planner as a gift for my Mother,

She does alot of traveling during the Holiday season ...this planner will help her to keep all her travel information,personal and holiday events in order.

I used a Photo Album from the Dollar Store...altered it to suit my needs.

All dividers are pockets that she can use to store here tickets,receipts,etc.

Look for the release of this kit at DragonFlaire Studio"s Boutique

Kicking in Gear for the Holiday Season

Have you started planning or creating for the Holiday Season?

Have not caught the spirit yet or are lacking inspiration?

Have I got the spark you need...Tonight EST 8 pm-10 pm DragonFlaire Studio Designs

will be kicking off the Holiday Season with a PARTY !

Launching a release of The Scrapper's Holiday Planner !

All types of fun and inspiration to be found!

Want a sneak peek !

Sketch "N" Scrap

Big Congratulations go out to Jacqueline for her winning hand at the Sisterhood of Scrap

Texas Hold'em Challenge...Jacqueline was holding a diamond flush...WTG!! on the flush Jacqueline!

The sisters also have a fun Card sketch posted for Sketch Saturday.

Working on a project this week I still had my pile of little scraps sitting on my desk..thought I would put them to use and give the card sketch a try.

I like to make up my own paper piecing patterns...but for some reason I find animals to be a bit

of a challenge for me.

Happy to report this one came together very easy with the help of Basic Grey (un)Dressed chipboard...made for a perfect set of Antlers.

Stop on by the Sisters and meet the designer of this sketch

she also has some fun stamps for sale in her store

All My Chips In

The challenge for our last card at the Texas Hold'em Challenge at

the Sisterhood of Scrap is to post a photo and tell you about it.
So I take my chance and toss in all my chips...just like in poker
you take your chances when you go all in.

Now this photo may offend some .....but is a big part of my past...so please no bashing about cruelty to animals....this was another time and is a trade almost not to be found in this day and age.

My father came from a long line of trappers and furriers...due to necessity he was taught as a little boy to help his father hunt, fish and set traps.

No part was left untouched...even the fat was sold to the soap makers and when there was game enough to last them thru the hard winters of the Mountain valleys...the extra meat would go to those with less.

As my father entered his adult years he and a childhood buddy found a market and expanded out into the fur trade guided by my Grandfather's wisdom

The furs were skinned,stretched ,dried and stockpiled for the twice seasonal visits of the buyers who would come up from New York City and down from Montreal, Canada.

I remember how my Grandfather all bundled up with his favorite fox hat, would head out against the bitter cold to the fur house.

Exciting time for all when the buyers were in town.

He would pull up his lawn chair,watching and listening as the haggling began,

ever watchful to make sure they received a fair price for the quality of furs they had graded.

Those times are now just a dim memory as public opinions

have changed about the wearing of fur.

And the characters in this story have left this world and gone on to another place.

But the memories are still alive.

Back to the Game

Had to step away from the table and stretch my legs..tough hand going on here...

now it's coming down to the luck of the draw....looks like I may be up the river with out a paddle.

With Thursday's community card at the "Sisterhood of Scrap" Texas Hold'em card game being the Ace of Diamonds...

there may still be a chance to build a hand of some sort.

With that said I toss in my chips along with a Black & Red Layout with a bit of journaling

and take the Ace into my hand.

Faire Wish Kit by Emma /courtesy of "DigitalScrapBook Place"

Diamonte Swirls by Flergs

My youngest ds & dil's niece and her Mommy

She was the Flower Girl for their wedding Ceremony.

Such a Sweetheart :)!

It's a Scrapper's Holiday Party !

If your looking for some fun and Inspiration this weekend

stop on by DragonFlaire Studios.

They are kicking off the Holiday Season with a

release of "The Scrappers Holiday Planner"

Stop on by and catch the "Holiday Spirit"!

You need to register and have approval to the message board

you won't want to miss out on this fun Holiday Bash!

You can read more about it here

Meet the designer of the "Holiday Planner" !

Inspiration Texas Style

Next card on the table....not looking to good...not looking to bad either...three more cards to go.

Next three cards out are going to make the difference in my hand,I am holding at the "Sisterhood of Scrap" Texas Hold'em Challenge.

Again I toss in my chips and some inspiration sites..that I enjoy.

One of my favorite sites to go to when I need inspiration for a craft project is

Craft TV Weekly not only do they offer some fun projects...they have a video and templates to guide you along.

Second site I would like to share is a Blog Scrapping with Ikea Goddess

the place to go for all your digital freebies...every day previews and links are posted to all the newest digital freebies that can be located.

Not only does it keep you up on what is out there ..but also provides a way to view other informative sites that you might not have found on your own.

Third is a Sketch Site...when I am stuck for a design ...I most always check out this site first for some inspiration to begin my layout.

"Sketch It"...... this is one talented young lady...I expect we will be hearing more of here in the future outside the cyber world.

So there you have it ...my top three inspiration sites...still wearing my best poker face...hehe.

Texas Hold'em Tuesday

All chips are in and the second community card is on the table....looking a little better.

I toss in my chips along with a tip.

My tip for today.

when creating a digital layout ....why not play with the opacity of your elements.

click on a layer in the layers column and go to the opacity ...play with the numbers awhile to see what will give you the best look for what you are trying to achieve.

In the top example ...I altered the opacity of my photograph of my Granddaughter and used it as an overlay on my page.

A second example may be seen in my button for my first layout of Texas Hold'em.

A third example may be seen in "How do I Love Thee"

If you have never tried this before, why not play around with it and see what you come up with.

All chips in !

Texas Hold'em has begun at Sisterhood of Scrap.

Now holden two cards, and one on the table...looking a little weak...but still with some possibilities.

What to do....as I tip my visor.....I put on my best game and hope the other talented players

can not read my poker face.

With a two word title and a round embellishment,

I toss my chips onto the table and enter the game.

Credit

Angie Briggs "Digi Doodles"

Melusine "Sunflower"

Maddy Fernandez "Pumpkin Templates"

Nicole Wozniak Stitches "Touch of Red"

Put Your Game Face On !

Grab your visor and your best poker face...but please no Cigars!!

The Sisters at the "Sisterhood of Scrap" will be hosting a Texas Hold'em Game all this coming week.

Each day a challenge will be issued and for every challenge you complete you will be dealt a new card.

The person with the best hand at the end of the game...will be the winner of an awesome prize!So if you are looking for a fun week check out the Sisters and sign up

for the Best game of poker in town!

Happy Boooooos to You ! ( : < { )~{

Happy Anniversary Robert & Anita

Today is my middle ds & dil Anniversary..

they met while Rob was in the marines,

attending a wedding with one of his buddies

They met and the sparks flew at a young age

and they have been together ever since...

dating a few years before they married .

They are now celebrating eight years of marriage together.

Here's wishing you many more.

Congratulations

Love

MOM XXXOOO

Again I used Lumpy Page Designs free "Touch of Red Kit"and a Sketch found at Erica's

Sketch it Blog

Also found this really cool freebie digital Template for Scalloped edges at DSSA the Blog

Creating with Freebies

This layout was created with a free Sketch and free "Touch of Red" Digital Kit provided by one designer...

Nicole Wozniak found at Lumpy Page Designs.

I mentioned Nicole's Blog and Freebies in my last post...but I just could not hold back on this inspiration for another time in the future and went right at it.

What better way to turn it around to suit my style .....then to use what she has provided to create.

My youngest son and his new bride...will be married a year in a couple of days

Congratulations and many more to you both!

Love you,

Mom XXOO

Drop Spine Box

Something about a Drop Spine Box has always caught my attention.

So many possibilities for its use and the fact that it stores on a shelf like a book is one of my favorite traits about it.

Easy instructions for this type of box may be found at Craft TV Weekly.

In the video they used a kit to construct the box...you can do the same by following the measurements that are given and your own supplies to fashion this box.

I found a layout Sketch I thought would work with my box and scaled it back to fit my cover.

Nicole Wozniak's creative ideas and projects may be found on her Blog at

Lumpy Page Designs .

Nicole is a designer for Tilano Fresco Products as well...very creative lady.

While you are there...check out Nicole's generous freebie Digital Scrapbook Kit.

Can't wait to get started with this kit!

This box will hold a mini album I am working on.

Haunting Under the Full Moon

With a Full Moon upon us and Halloween right around the corner, thought I would add some spooky fun for those who celebrate.

Now if you are faint at heart or do not participate in the spirit of Halloween,turn around and ...RUN....RUN....RUN!!!! ....as this post is all about the Scary!!!

The first tale I would like to share,is one that is personal to me.

The tales of the Loomis Gang was a favorite of my Grandfathers to share with us on Halloween.

His Grandfather's land was the neighboring farm to the Loomis Gang in Central NY.

The Loomis Family and inner circle of friends where a ruthless Gang known to terrorize as far north as Canada.

For years they kept the locals under their rule of terror and lawlessness..finally to be brought down harshly by the hands of the locals with remainder of the gang scattered to the winds.

Looking thru the references and stories that have been written I have located mention of my families participation and dealings with the Loomis Family Gang.

Next on our haunting tour... is a link for you that will lead to many Ghostly web cams

strategically placed at some well known,thought to be Haunted hot spots.

Happy Haunting!

A tragic moment in American History ..set in the late 1600's our young country was blotted by a dark series of events...suspicion and fear ran amok along the new England territory.

"Salem Witch Trial".

In a sleepy little village of Upstate New York ,a legend grew and has stood the test of time. Firmly embedded and associated with Halloween in the United States.

Washington Irving has held generations captive with his Tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow"

History of Halloween

Snow Lady Card

Teaching Tuesday this week at the SOS Blog is using patterns from other hobbies you may have.

This little card was made from a doll pattern for wood carving that Deanne created.

Soon as I saw this on Deanne's blog ..I thought of what a cute card it would make.

Deanne was very generous in sharing her pattern with instructions on how to make this wood carving..and also posted an example on what a cute card it would make on the Sisters Blog.

I like the pattern because it so versatile...I chose to make mine a snow lady.

Trying to get ahead on my Christmas Cards this year...I think my next one just may turn into a Gingerbread Man.

Altered Starbuck's Can

I have held on to this can since last Christmas after receiving a basket of specialty coffee's from my Son and his wife.

I loved the style of the can and just knew sooner or later I would find a use for it.

And what better to store in it then my favorite little treat...Chocolate!

I like to have a little stash in my craft room for when the mood strikes.

With my August Scrapbook Kit from Scrappy Giraffe Kits...there were some lovely patterned paper from Crate Paper that reminded me of Chocolate so I knew now was the time to make a nice home for my special treat.

The hardware on the tin was very easy to take apart and assemble back together again.

Covered the tin with primer and used some paint that also came in my August kit.

Used ModgePodge to adhere and cover Patterned Paper.

Made some flowers... labeled my can....BadaBing...Badaboom...nice little container to blend in with my other altered Projects that work for me as storage.

Only problem that I see is that... most likely should have not labeled my tin...now everyone knows what product I keep in here!

So much for my hidden stash!

Sketch Saturday

Saturdays sketch challenge at the Sister's Blog is a sketch created by Christy Mack.

Christy is a DTM at ScrapGalaxy, I find her challenges and creative ideas almost always will light a spark in me to go and create something.

Her layouts are always full of personality and color.

One of my first online challenges was a sketch by Christy...lots of fun ...and very scary at the same time...you know how that can be when you are a newbie!

Some fun projects of Christy's may be found in the tutorial section of ScrapGalaxy..If you would like to learn more about Christy and her Designs she may be found at the "SisterHood of Scrap" as this weeks featured Designer.

My Granddaughter at not quite 2 months old.