Plenty for Twenty

Are you looking for a special gift for a scrapbooker or cardmaker?

Tomorrow (December 1) begins a special Close To My Heart offer:

Spend $20 or more in December and receive a D-size stamp set FREE! (That's a $23 value.) Be sure to order online here and have your order delivered right to your door.

Makin' a list, checkin' it twice,
I can't miss giving (friend's name)
a fun and special CTMH gift
Because she's just so NICE!

I  hope you take advantage of this great shopping offer! No driving to the mall, no lines to stand in, no cold weather, no coughing people spreading their germs--shop at home in your slippers while you drink hot chocolate and relax!

Your creative recipients will be THRILLED with their gifts!

Floral Photo Note Cards

These are samples of my floral photo note cards -- and some Grand Canyon and botanical garden scenes -- most of the flower photos are from our yard and gardens. The Writing Spider lives in my parents' yucca plant. (He's called the Writing Spider because of the zigs and zags he creates in his web, a creative device to help catch more insects. He's claimed his yucca home for almost 6 months!)

Yesterday's Vendor Fair was a success, and I've declared today "My 2010 Mental Health Day." Translation: put away Fall decor; make turkey noodle soup; rest my eyes.

Happy Monday everyone, and may you be successful if you're cyber shopping today!

Thanks for dropping in to visit and to leave your kind comment.

A Variety of Cards

Today is the vendor fair -- wish me success!
Here is a small sampling of 200 greeting cards I've created to sell.
All of them use Close To My Heart papers and embellishments.
Half of them include my floral photography.

Thanks for visiting and leaving your comment!

More Clear Acrylic Cards

Close To My Heart's clear acrylic card bases are some of my favorite items--

These are some of the card designs I made for the vendor fair. I find it challenging in a fun way to decide how to place the papers and the sentiments so that the recipient is surprised when he or she opens the card!

A Guy's Notebook

Game ON ... the name of this CTMH paper packet ... and just another vendor fair item ready for Sunday!

It could be a handy note book for sports scores, travel, auto details, a guy's little black book stuff, and so much more.

I enjoy paper piecing these fun projects!

Glad you stopped by. I'd be so pleased if you leave a comment. :)

Girly Journal

Key To My Heart papers along with Sorbet and Juniper ribbons decorate this spiral-bound journal.
 
Here's the back and front view:

This is just one of the items I've made for this Sunday's vendor fair in our city.

In all honesty, it will be a GREAT day when I finish everything and clean up my messes! It's beginning to feel too claustrophobic in StudioJane. DH shuddered when I mentioned, "I'm running out of space. I may have to move to a bigger room." Poor DH. Doesn't he know I'm just teasing? All I need is a few elves to help me make this space look organized again--so I can start all over in creating and making my fun messes!

Truly, you don't want to see any more than this:

Happy evening ... and enjoy all those Thanksgiving leftovers! After tomorrow, we'll be calling them "mustgoes."

Thanks for visiting and leaving your love!

Christmas Candy Countdown

I made these Christmas Candy Countdowns for this weekend's vendor fair -- and I was so happy to find the "gluten free" candy ball packets at Big Lots! A few years ago I saw this idea, and adapted the size and the verse for this project. I made a bunch using small candy canes too, and called it "Candy Cane Countdown." I used the Jingle candy cane striped papers for those.

Jingle papers are so cheerful with the non-traditional Christmas colors in Juniper and Tulip. Oh, I do love all the greens and reds too ... and I'm using every single piece and not wasting a scrap. Frugal, just like momma taught me to be.

These 10 candy packets will help young children count down the last, very slow 10 days until Christmas Day.

Glad you stopped by -- and I appreciate your comments too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Each day is a day for thanks-living, wouldn't you agree?

Tomorrow is the designated, proclaimed national day of Thanksgiving in the USA. Will tomorrow be any different than any other day? Maybe you'll have a turkey or goose or venison on your dinner platter, along with special side dishes from family recipes and traditional pumpkin, cherry, apple, and mincemeat pies too.

I'd be grateful no matter what "spread" was on our table as long as family and friends are together. One year when DH and I couldn't get through a snowstorm to be with any family members, we were happy to eat a bowl of Cheerios and listen to music and play Scrabble. Great memory!

Blogging, scrapping friends, I posted this clear card a while back but it seemed appropriate to include it in a Thanksgiving Day post. I'm grateful for you, for your visits to my blog, for your kind comments, and for our common interests. I pray that your Thanksgiving will be a blessed one, that you enjoy good health and safe travel.

If I could click my heels together like Dorothy did for a special wish, I'd wish to be together with my parents for Thanksgiving. Since we won't be traveling, I'm very grateful for cousins who will be sharing a Thanksgiving meal with Mom and Dad. And I'm grateful for our family members who will join us for dinner tomorrow, to give special thanks for all our blessings.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34

 Happy, thanks-filled Thanksgiving!

Christmas Card Memory Keeper Box

I just know someone will like this as a gift! It's one of the items I'll have at the local vendor fair this coming weekend. I combined the Jingle and Mistletoe papers and used the Jingle trees Stickease, along with the dimensional alphabet.

Back to work now! It's time to wash off the glue and begin the pumpkin pie baking. Don't you just love the smells of Thanksgiving season foods? Does anyone like extra-spicy cloves and cinnamon and nutmeg in your pumpkin pies? I do!

Thanks for looking and for leaving some love!

Another Mistletoe Clear Card

Listening to Christmas music ... creating cards ... watching the leaves blow across the yards ... so glad to be inside with my hot chocolate!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at some of my paper art!

Mistletoe Clear Card

Here's one of the many clear cards I've made so far -- loving the new CTMH Mistletoe papers and embellishments. And I ALWAYS love Christmasy colors!

More to come ... I must get out and enjoy the 70 degrees while it lasts ... a blustery cold front is coming our way!

Update: Blogger just let me upload the second photo showing the card's inside sentiment. AND we're under a tornado watch! Such weird, crazy weather we're having in the Midwest. But I'll take it, compared to the snowy areas I've been seeing on the newscasts. I'm NOT ready for winter. I AM thankful to have warm winter fleece-lined boots. So in a small way, I am ready. Or not.

New Art & Soul Web-isode

Stencil, Sparkle & Shine! This is the newest Close To My Heart web-isode! (Each web-isdoe is about 10 minutes long. Take a look! Just click on the logo.)

I've been MIA for quite a while ... doing lots of family activities AND getting ready for a Vendors Fair. Picture me eyeball deep in paper, adhesive, and ink. I'll post pix soon. But now I have to get back to the serious studio stuff! It's my goal to be ready for next weekend's fair, and also be able to enjoy Thanksgiving. Next year I vow I'll work ahead and not feel so crunched. You know that feeling, right?!

Savory Beef Stew in a Pumpkin

Want your house to smell so good this Fall?

And have a delicious meal in its own serving bowl?

1. Get yourself a nice pie pumpkin.

2. Cut out the lid. Scoop out the seeds.

3. Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet. Brush the outside of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.

4. Fill the pumpkin with your favorite beef stew mixture. (When I don't make it "from scratch" I use a frozen mix such as Stouffer's.)

5. Put on the lid. Bake at 350 degrees. Timing will vary on the size of your pumpkin. A small one usually takes 60-90 minutes. A large one takes up to 2 hours to bake. You'll want the pumpkin "meat" to be tender to scoop.

6. Serve on a pretty platter (oops! not shown here).

Scoop helpings so that each serving includes the beef stew and the baked pumpkin too. It's yummy and so healthy too.

Enjoy!

A Dog and His Boy

This photo depicts Bryan and Torrie's "BFF" -- they are Buds --

nothing compares to a boy and his dog-love.

Bryan is off to college now, studying to be a physical therapist.

I've never met a more caring, kind, compassionate young man.

He spends time with his neighbors, and during his summers,

he gives of himself by doing mission work

and rebuilding projects in the storm-stricken south.

My parents are so blessed to have known Bryan since his birth

and to have him and his parents for their neighbors.

Now they just don't get to see Bryan often enough.

But Torrie does come by for her treats.