St Lucia Day

Hello again and happy Monday! I'm hoping to get more crafting time this month, but I miiight not.... December is busy! 
Good thing I have a stash of Christmastime pages I haven't shared before.  

Last year while thinking of ways to incorporate family history into our holiday, I remembered or realized or something that my husband has family from Denmark and Sweden, annnd thanks to reading the American Girl books as as kid, (Kirsten, in this case) I know a Swedish holiday-time tradition! I'm assuming his family observed St Lucia Day, tho we don't have any kind of proof. It wasn't something any of his living relatives heard anyone talk about, just something from their culture. 

I thought of it only a day or two before, so I had to figure out how to make it all work pretty quick. Lucia buns are saffron buns, but the least expensive saffron I could find was around $80 and it was something like 14oz and I needed 1/4 tsp?? Sooo I opted for something closer to the project my friend and I did in 4th grade. Our parents had to make enough Lucia buns for the class, using a Bisquick recipe, ha. I don't know how to make any kind of bread that would be a bun, so I got frozen Rhodes rolls, and tried to shape them into the S shape. I used cinnamon as a spice, because the recipes all say they should be sweet. I don't think we own any kind of white robe, and we don't even have a wreath. So I lined some candles along the table, and I made the whole family get up early! They "got" to learn a little bit about St Lucia, and see the names and faces of their ancestors who likely *actually celebrated. It wasn't a perfect event, but they thought it was pretty cool! 

Supplies:
Stamps: God's Peace, Letterpress Alphabet

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Memento Black

Stampin' Blends: Dark & Light Cherry Cobbler, Dark Shaded Spruce, Dark Daffodil Delight, Dark Petal Pink

Paper: Basic White & Cherry Cobbler card stocks

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler & Gold Metallic Ribbon, Metallic Pearls 

Journaling Font: Bradley Hand

And a close up of this beautiful image of light.

Psst- Saturday is St Lucia Day, if you'd like to look in to it yourself...! 

Visiting Santa!

This page comes right after yesterday's pages, altho it took place in the middle, ha. The line for Santa was pretty long, so she stood in line before seeing the trains. 
This page uses die cuts from a DP pack, that I featured last December. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Just Perfect Alpha

Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Pretty in Pink, A Little Bit Festive punchouts

Dance & Trains

Last December, my daughter's dance class had a mini show at a little community event. It was held in the same building as a very small model train show we always visit at Christmas. It was a fun little morning as a family and I think the page turned out pretty fun too. Something about letting the DP do the work, ha. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Sparkly Seasons

Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Cherry Cobbler c/s, Santa Express

Happy December!!

December is in full swing around here! We put up the tree on Friday, decorated the house on Saturday and got our first snow on Sunday! Hooray!! Monday the kids got new jammies (and slippers for the one who needed them) and this week is when all the things "to kick off the season" are crammed! ha! 

So for today, here's a scrapbook layout I made earlier this year about a Christmas event! We did this in 2010 and the photos were printed in 2011, ha. Hooray for getting it scrapped!! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Alphabest

Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Rococo Rose, Real Red card stocks, Candy Cane Lane DP

Accessories: Rococo Rose Scalloped Linen Ribbon, Real Red ribbon

Journaling Font: Cinnamon Cake

Father's Day!

Hello! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, or just a fantastic November 27th! At our house, the day after Thanksgiving means we decorate for Christmas, so I'll just scoot over to the next celebration, while looking back at this happy day.
And a fantastic layout if I do say so myself. Because I used someone else's idea...! This was for a challenge to scraplift someone, and I found a really good one HERE. 

Supplies:
All MDS

Paper: Well Worn, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Button Latte
Journaling Font: Baskerville Old Face

Mother's Day!

My brain is scrambled with Thanksgiving cooking and cleaning and and and... but today here's a different family-themed event to inspire you if you get creative time today!
Quick and simple, especially since it was digital, ha. 

Supplies:
All MDS: 

Stamps: All Holidays

Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Rich Razzleberry Blooms. So Saffron Small Polka Dots
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Brads

I am thankful I get to spend time creating in my life. I'm thankful you're here! I hope you have a happy and peaceful tomorrow, whatever you're doing! 

Another Back To School

The week of Thanksgiving is upon us, and we are hosting for the first time ever. Not a huge group, there will be 11 diners. But still, I haven't done this before. *I am not even doing it- my husband will be cooking three kinds of meat. I'll do mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and sweet potato casserole, haha. But I will be doing a lot of the cleaning before people arrive. 

Which means I will not be stamping. Possibly anything this week at all... ha. So here are some pages I've already made, starting with another day of going back to school! 

Supplies:

Stamps: ABC Alphabet Upper & Lower

Ink: Basic Gray
Paper: Azure Afternoon, Rococo Rose card stocks, Storytime DP

Accessories: Rococo Rose Scalloped Linen Ribbon, Transparent Adhesive Backed Dots 

Everything is long-retired except the base. This one is pretty basic, but it's in her books! I also re-sorted her books last week and put everything in order for her! Yeay! 

Colorful Christmas Trees!

Today's card was super fun too! Love when an idea works! haha! 

This time I used The Paper Players challenge to use your favorite holiday image. Thaat's hard to decide but I really do love these trees. I combined it with the SUO Challenge and took their inspiration photo literally. And I am SO happy with how it turned out!
There's some Cloud Cover ink blended around the background. I don't know if it's CAS enough but I had a great time putting it together! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Peaceful Evergreens, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Rococo Rose, Delightful Dijon, Gray Granite, Evening Evergreen, Cloud Cover

Paper: Cloud Cover & Basic White card stocks

Accessories: 2025-27 In Color Flat Pearls, White Baker's Twine, Peaceful Evergreen dies, Blending Brush, Big Shot

Also, btw, haha, when I say "I used scraps", this is what I mean: 

And I only even used two of those white trees, ha! 

Artistic Autumn Leaves!

Today has been a FUN stamping day! I've gotten several things going and I got to ink up this pretty, new stamp!
I used the colors from Color Throwdown (I will miss you!!!!) and the sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments. I liked the result so much I made it twice with different shades! HA! (also because I couldn't decide between bold colors or pastel...)

This one was done first and I loved it...

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Leaves

Ink: Peach Pie, Lemon Lolly, Pear Pizazz, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Basic White, Peach Pie, Lemon Lolly, Pear Pizazz card stocks

Accessories: Amber Gems, Circle Dies, Dimensionals

but then! I *really loved the second! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Artistic Leaves

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, Pecan Pie

Paper: Basic Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke card stocks

Accessories: Amber Gems, Circle Dies, Dimensionals

I super love those Amber Gems. That's one of those things I actually do regret not getting more of! 

I switched sides of the orange paper because everything here was made with scraps, other than the bases. I think I like the richer colors card, but actually I think it's because of where I put the sentiment, and I think the little specks add a lot! 

Do you have a favorite?

First Day of School

Hello again!
Life has been so busy!
Also I think I was sick... a couple of my kids had a five day, nasty, stay-in-bed cold and I got a five day migraine that kept me pretty much in bed... Very, very little got done last week, of any thing. So first thing today, I got some scrapping done! 
Pretty simple, but uses stash and kinda fun. :)

Supplies:

Stamps: Number of Years

Ink: Pacific Point
Paper: Fresh Freesia, Pacific Point card stocks, Just Kiddin' DP

Accessories: Regals Candy Dots

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Good morning, haha! I thought these bright colors would be fun for a little boy but wow- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! haha! 

Today's card uses the latest CAS Colours and Sketches altho it prrrobably is not super CAS... Oh well, I liked the sketch and I like how it worked out.

Tho I do need to re-ink my Granny Apple Green pad....

Supplies:

Stamps: Party Wishes

Ink: Mango Melody, Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green

Paper: Basic White & Granny Apple Green card stocks

Accessories: Transparent Dots 

Halloween Cookies!

Another late-in-the-day post, but I got a card made! This will go out next year. But I made paper cookies!!

I used the SUO Challenges inspiration photo. I didn't really have the Halloween images in the photo, but I do have a cookie cutter set, haha, and I have the shown colors. I stamped the cookies on Basic Beige hoping they'd look like lightly browned sugar cookies. They do not, but it's okay, hahaha....the colors show up better on Basic Beige than they would on Crumb Cake. I am not a coloring perfectionist and I decided to lean in to that and call it icing! And then the circles that come with punching out the gingerbread shape became sprinkles that are scattered on the table with the cookies! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Cookie Cutter Halloween, Buffalo Check

Ink: Memento Black
Stampin' Blends: Dark & Light Granny Apple Green, Dark & Light Pumpkin Pie, Dark Basic Black, Dark Highland Heather, Light Blackberry Bliss
Paper: Basic Beige, Basic Black & Granny Apple Green card stocks

Accessories: Cookie Cutter Punch, Dimensionals, Glue Dots