Holiday Hiatus of Sorts & Challenges Galore...

Hello papercrafting friends! I am so sorry for the long hiatus. The holidays came upon me and somehow I kept going in spite of one of the worst cases of pneumonia/bronchitis I've ever had. The doc called it acute respiratory illness and wouldn't let me out of the office before I had a breathing treatment for the weezing in my chest but I'm happy to report the holidays and dinners & parties came off without a hitch...it is amazing what you can do when you just put your head down and charge on! Please remember to follow my blog if you like what you see!

It felt good to get busy again with crafting and there were several challenges I was longing to join so I came up with the idea for a New Year tiara. My granddog is visiting while her dad (and my son) is in Disney World so she was elected to model and did a fine job. Yahoo Daisy!! LOL!


Magnolia's Baby Tilda is standing in as Baby New Year...I just covered her sweet bunny slippers with a sparkly butterfly crystal for the occasion. Tilda has been blinged out for New Years with a sparkly blonde bubble hairdo and ruffled diaper. She is a fun stamp to color because the coloring goes quickly with so little clothing on!


Using my Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge and the Design Studio software I welded the word "happy" and cut & glued layers of chipboard, gold & white cardstock, then blinged the heck out of them with Stickles. I cut separate smaller numerals for the year and painted them with pewter Lumiere paint which was coated with Glossy Accents. It has been snowy here on the East Coast so I decided to add a few MS snowflake punches which I Stickled and layered with different colors of white cardstock. Pearls & crystals were added for another layer of fun. You'll see the little embossed clock faces which I made by running Tim Holtz watch faces through my Cuttlebug...what a thrill to see the idea worked! I antiqued them with a white stamp pad to make the numbers pop. I made my embossing sandwich with: A plate, B plate, clock face right side up, cardstock (right side up), Wizard embossing mat, and lastly another B plate. Be sure to give it a try!

I purchased an inexpensive white plastic headband at the dollar store which I covered with 1/4" white satin ribbon. The deco for the top of the headband was added with two 2 1/2" lengths of ribbon which were first Tacky glued to the back of the cardstock "happy" then looped around the headband and glued again to the back. I added some Tacky glue to the inside length of the ribbon loops too. I hope you enjoy my little New Year project and will give one a try!

I'm entering this in a number of challenges:
Magnolia Hi-Lites "Word" challenge (ends December 30th)
Copic Creations - Sparkle (ends 1/14/2011)
All That Scraps - Magnolia Winter Near Us (ending 1/14/2011)
Magnolia-Licious Challenge Blog where the challenge is to make a mostly white card with this photo as inspiration. Hurry over, this one runs through 1/10/2011.
7 Kids has a Anything Goes Challenge running until 1/6/2011...this sure is an
"anything"!
All That Scraps - Weds. Challenge Blog "New Year" ends 1/4/2011
Simon Says New Year Challenge 1/5/2011
Odds are...I'll win a challenge someday!! Did you see my recent honor on the sidebar to the left?? Yahoo x 2!! Can you stand one more photo???
BTW friends...........H-A-P-P-Y N-E-W Y-E-A-R!!!!!!!!!

Paper Mache Christmas Houses...

Ooohhhh...I am so tickled with a present I am giving my dear, dear fellow crafty- doll-loving-grandma friend (who'll know what she's getting for Christmas if she peeks at my blog too soon!) I'm sorry I didn't buy this set for myself but I will take joy in seeing my friend make hers and perhaps give it a go in 2011.

Took some doing but I found the houses at Hobby Lobby...

...plus lots of inspiration from Tim Holtz for possible techniques on this awesome snowman tag. My friend has a nice collection of paper mache Christmas houses which I was reminded of by looking at Tim's tag & recipe for snow: 1 part white UTEE, 2 parts clear UTEE, 1 part glass glitter, 1 scoop perfect pearls. Can't you see globs of this frosty goop slathered on this delicious house by Debbie Olson?
I just love the October Afternoon Mitten Weather papers she used! There are a few more ideas and a pattern at October Afternoon's blog. Check it out!

Naughty or Nice???

I'm sick today so am reaching back to a favorite card of this season that I haven't posted on the blog. I titled this card the Naughty Larakins because this pair of tiny faeries are scampering inside my tree and broke an ornament! Really, I'd love to have a live pair of these scampering inside the tree but I'm afraid my pair of hounds would make short work of them.

The Larakins were made from an Emerald Fairies digital stamp available exclusively at Debs Creations. Do yourself a favor and check them out. This great store is in Australia but you needn't worry if you buy digital stamps however, they do ship stamps worldwide.

I love using black & white gingham ribbon in unexpected places and it looks especially good along with distressing. I made the green ornament from vintage glittery paper by DCWV...I hope you can tell that's what it is supposed to be as the bow slightly obscures it. The cool Christmas paper is by Making Memories. I had to make it my favorite easel card so it can be propped on a table and enjoyed!

This is definitely one of my favorite cards this Christmas...so much so that I just couldn't send it to anyone so I'm keeping it to decorate my studio!

I found a couple super sweet and easy Christmas projects over at the May Arts ribbon blog. Check out the gingerbead man and Christmas tree tutorials here.

The Holidays Go Marching On...

Hi fellow bloggers! I am a bit behind thanks in part to a mini snow storm yesterday here on my part of the East Coast. It was just enough to cover the roadways and keep me inside! Hopefully, later this morning we'll be able to get out to finish last minute errands for the family party on Sunday. It's an eventful weekend! Our granddaughter has her birthday party tomorrow too.

I don't have time to make cards right now so I thought you'd enjoy another tidbit I ran across in another blog that's available from a wonderful online store, Papertrey Ink. Check out this superb felt! I can imagine all sorts of wonderful, crafty things that one can make with 100% wool felt as fine as this. While you're there, be sure to check out the wonderful paper, etc. This is a wonderful online store.

Yay...finally a Unity Stamp...

I've been admiring and wanting this stamp but just didn't dive in so now that the end of the Christmas cardmaking time has come for me...I jump in and buy my first Unity Stamp! This stamp is perfect for using behind Tilda and some of the other figures I love stamping and will be fun for next Christmas. How could I pass up this great set at just $5.00 plus free shipping and a free gift??

Well, today is full of surprises! We rarely have Christmas snow in my part of the East Coast but it's snowing like crazy. Snow was supposed to hit the two southern-most counties in Delaware but not us. Oh gee, I just learned it's supposed to snow Sunday too...the day of our family party here at my home.

I know a little birthday girl who'll be happy to see this white stuff. That's right, my "big" granddaughter turns 4 today.

Happy birthday sweetie pie...with mucho love from Gramma!

Amazing Paper Dies in the UK

Rarely comes along a new gadget that I don't fall in love. I am definitely dazzled by new fangled things so I know in my heart of hearts that my son, Justin, got this gene from mom! Our love of tools is a little different but they are implements aka tools non-the-less. Check out this die...
I was visiting the amazing Suzanne Dean's blog to see her DT card for Copic Creations and was gobsmacked (the tool is English) by the beauty of the pine bough diecuts used on her card. Thankfully, she tells us they are Marianne D dies and are available at Bunny Zoe's Crafts in the UK. I'm going to have to consider getting some of them soon.

Speaking of Copic Creations...the challenge theme is "sparkle" and it runs until January 14th. The prize is a wonderful bunch of stamps from Just Rite Stamps.

May Arts Ribbon...

Click here to read about our family loved one who's in need of a kidney transplant and please spread the word in case you know someone who'd like to help!

I posted about a plaid ribbon giveaway at May Arts some time ago and myself took up their offer. I chose a sweet lavendar/pink/brown plaid with stitched edges. My plans were to make a cute garland of snowflakes and gingerbread men for the holidays but just couldn't make it happen so opted instead to make Christmas gifts for my two little great nieces. Truth is their mommy gave me 2 wood ovals a year or two ago and asked me if I'd make a door plaques for them since I have a handy Cricut die cutter. Somehow they got tucked away and forgotten until a couple weeks ago when I did a major cleaning in my studio and unearthed them.
So here's what turned out with my free ribbon from May Arts... I bet you can guess which one belongs to Alison and which is Caroline's!
Here's how to make them: sand wood oval and paint with dark base coat (I used fuschia & purple), dry and sand lightly and repeat. When dry brush on a coat of crackle glaze and dry for 55 minutes then coat with off-white acrylic paint & dry. Spray coat with clear matte enamel. Antique lightly with walnut sponge stamp pad. Cut 2 layers of shadow letters in chipboard & solid cardstock with Cricut (used Alphalicious and Plantin Schoolbook) and 1 layer of printed cardstock in normal uppercase letters. Glue layers together with Tacky Glue and adhere to base. Coat letters with Glossy Accents. Drill 2 holes for hanger. For Caroline's I cut lots of 4" pieces of yarn, string & ribbons which were tied to a wire hanger I fashioned from floral wire...you'll see the May Arts plaid in the mix. To make Alison's unique I tied the May Arts ribbon on each side and glued the loose end to the back of the plaque with a separate length of ribbon I tied a bow at the center top and added a lavendar button, 2 smaller buttons were added to the base just below where the ribbon is connected. I think they made a nice little Christmas present for two sweet little gals who are 6 and 4!!This is before I added the larger lavendar button to the bow ~ which version do you like best?

Blog Candy Galore

I thought my fellow bloggers would be sharing less candy at this busy time of year. Whew! Was I wrong?? There's so much Christmas candy out there...its amazing. If you take a look at the Freebies & Candy section of my sidebar, you'll see I've added lots for you to visit and enter.

Hey...while you're at it, click on Melanie's candy that ended 11/30 and see who won!!! Yeppers...you really can win these things if you stick with it. I can't wait for my box to arrive. It has 2 new Magnolia stamps in addition to lots of cool Christmas goodies.

Yay...Challenges Galore!

I've been so busy getting ready for the holidays that I've not been able to find much papercrafting time but am back full throttle and plan to keep the mojo flowing! Here's my second card in as many days for another couple wonderful Magnolia challenges...I just love the colors of the challenge at Magna-licious and decided to use it on this most untraditional Christmas giftcard holder.
I made the card for my sweet DIL Michelle for her pollyanna for next weekend's family Christmas celebration here at my home. It's also an easel card. As I was editing these photos, I thought about the composition of the card and think those I like best are usually distressed and/or a montage that looks like things fell out of a drawer on to the cardstock. I think this one's in that category.

This was my first time inking up my new "Secret" Tilda. I love this stamp because it works so well for Christmas and birthdays. For a little fun I used Glossy Accents on the box bow to give it a little pizzazz. I hope you can see it in the photos.
In addition to the Tilda stamp I used Whimsy Christmas sentiments, and a $1 stamp from the craft store. The materials included Bazzill cardstock I cut with Nestabilities, MS snowflake & evergreen punch, with lots of embellies tossed in that include Recollection snowflake buttons, Prima flowers & centers, K & Co. felt stickers, foam glittery snowflakes from a $1 bin at the craft store and Imaginisce's Christmas Cottage (I won the whole collection with a challenge on Facebook.) plus scraps of paper. That about covers it. I used Copics for coloring Tilda and highlighting the "Don't Open Til..." stamp. If I can identify Copic colors please shoot me an email!
I'm entering these challenges:
Magnalicious - Pink/Blue/Green challenge (ends Dec. 21st)
Just Magnolia - Challenge 85, Make a Christmas Card (ends Dec. 16th)
ABC DT Challenge, Untraditional Holiday Colors (ends Dec. 17th)

7 Kids Challenge - Winter Scene

I adore this KK Charlote stamp and had to find a way to give my card a holiday feel so I turned it into a little "altered art" dazzler from a stamp that wasn't meant for Christmas. I added Charlotte's gloves, boots, & earmuffs so she could run out to catch snowflakes without her coat and oops...a snowflake landed on her nose! Those earmuffs are a pair of tiny lt. blue pompoms and a strip of white cardstock!
I added lots of Stickles and Glossy Effects to give a wintry feel to my card. There are numerous MS snowflakes with faux aurora borealis crystals as centers. The small MS snowflake is very fragile so I coated it with Glossy Accents to help it stay together. The card stock is a juxtaposition of glittery and distressed treatments. The image was first colored with Copics then, for fun I coated Charlotte's dress and hair with irridescent Lumiere paint and lots of Stickles. The naughty little one looks very cold with so much snow and her pile of icy snowballs. I iced up the Magnolia snowballs with Stickles and a coat of icy Glossy Accents. I just love the palette of muted aqua, pink, ivory & silver.

I'm entering this in 7 Kids Winter Scene challenge.

A HOLIDAY GIFT OF LIFE...

HELLO FRIENDS. I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE FOLLOWING EMAIL SENT BY MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, GABE TO OUR FAMILY. I'M PASSING IT ALONG IN HOPES THAT SOMEONE WHO MAY HAVE CONSIDERED LIVING ORGAN DONATION WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HELPING EVE BY CALLING JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL TO SEE IF THEY ARE QUALIFIED TO BE CONSIDERED A LIVING DONOR FOR HER. PLEASE READ...

I don’t normally do this but these are frightening times. As many of you may know, my wife Eve was fortunate enough to have some extra special, compassionate folks not only donate a pancreas but have also gone above and beyond by donating to her a life-saving living kidney. She has done well for the last 12 years with these precious organs but now she is in need once again of a kidney. She can get a donor kidney by being activated on the cadaveric kidney list but the doctors at Hopkins say her chances of survival increase enormously with a living kidney and lessen her chances of going on dialysis. One of the transplant staff suggested I send this email to see what may become of it. So, to that end, we are asking if there is anyone out there that might be interested. If so, I have listed the requirements and procedures to follow below. There is no need to let us know until you are confirmed by Hopkins. Don’t worry about if you are not the same blood type as her, as the transplant staff can take care of that. I mentioned to Eve that I could do the same but she wasn’t too fond of me(the primary caregiver) going under.

 Any potential LD candidates should call directly to the living donor team at Johns Hopkins Hospital(410 614 6604) to start the process. Things that raise red flags: some cases of high blood pressure (depends on the number of meds they are on as well as their race), 2 or more kidney stones in the past, frequent urinary tract infections, Hepatitis B or C, HIV+, some cancers, some heart conditions (like bypass surgery, etc), and a BMI (body mass index) no more than 35. We prefer too that they have health insurance.

 When potential donors call in, the intake person will do a general questionnaire. If all's well, they will get a Rx to start the process w/ Phase I testing (to get a blood type and tissue typing). They alone will be given those results and decide whether they would like to move FWD if they are a living donor candidate. Phase II is next w/ all the needed testing which can be done wherever they live (labs, other testing as per the donor team). Once those are successfully completed, Phase III is a visit to Hopkins for a formal evaluation. Then "we" go to transplant- Phase IV. Laparoscopic donation is the expected standard. Open nephrectomy is still done in some cases but rarely.

 All testing ordered as part of the living donor work up is covered by Hopkins and reimbursed by Eve's insurance @ the time of transplant. So they incur no charges at all. We also have follow up care for the living donors as well.

 A living donor is always the best way to go especially since everything is scheduled and easily predictable. Not like getting a call for a deceased donor any time of the night or day.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MY FAMILY MEMBER AND I CAN THEREFORE ATTEST TO THE TRUTH IN THE CONTENT. IF ANYONE WISHES TO DOUBLE CHECK, YOU MAY WANT TO GOOGLE THE NAMES IN THIS POSTING WITH MY LAST NAME AND YOU WILL SEE THE INVOLVEMENT IN THE TRANSPLANT COMMUNITY. ALSO, PLEASE KEEP EVE AND GABE IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

LOTSALUV AND HOLIDAY WISHES,

RONDA

Graphics Fairy

This is a little free gift from the folks over at Graphics Fairy. All you need to do to upload it to your computer is click on my image, then right click on that page, and save to your computer. You'll also want to be sure to visitGraphics Fairy to see all the amazing free vintage images and participate in the fun. I'm going to someday soon...right after I sew stockings and make & address Christmas cards, wrap, prepare for my 2 parties...you get the idea. 'Tis the season!!

Fireman Jay, My Own Young Hero...

I believe this was the best scrapbook layout I ever created...or should I clarify...the best paper piecings I've created! Guess it stands to reason when your youngest son is an unsung hero, himself a firefighter, it gives you lots of inspiration. I often sell my layouts on eBay and Etsy.com but didn't have the heart to part with this...somehow I think it won't be too many years and my young firefighter and his wife may have a "little hero"...a gramma can hope at least!

The paper piecings took some doing on this layout. I had to research old pedal cars to come up with my dalmation's car and then a little refresher in what dalmations look like...all a lot of fun but so much time. First there are sketches, then patterns, then cut Bazzill, and assemble/attach. If you can, try to check out all the talent at Etsy & eBay by searching for cards & scrapbook layouts. What you see will be amazing!

Not A Creature Was Stirring...

...not even this tiny paper mouse! I hope you enjoy my original 12" x 12" single page layout from a couple years back. I've been making so many cards lately I thought it would be fun to reach back into the archives and find a few of my favorites from the past to share during this busy time. I LOVE sketching so making my own original paper piecings was so much fun.

For those of you who aren't familiar with scrapbooking, paper piecing is the art of cutting pieces of paper out to form things like the mouse and mug on this layout!

Sorry...this layout sold already but I can remake similar ones upon request!

More Cuppa Joe...

While we're thinking coffee in these cold weeks and days before the holiday, won't you consider helping a soldier too? My daughter introduced me to Green Beans Coffee who operates coffee shops on military bases throughout the Middle East. They are running a "Cup A Joe for A Joe" promotion where we can send a free cuppa card to a soldier for $2. It's a nice way to say thank you and we're thinking of you this holiday!

Coffee Cup Cozy And The Winner Is...

IF you love coffee like me and frequent coffee shops or are looking for a cool gift for those who do, you may want to stop over to a Split Coast Stampers for an ingenious cozy tutorial. After that, join me in moving over to Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy a few of these
to go along with my gift cards and cozies. What a super gift for friends who love hot beverages!

Thanks to one and all for visiting and following my new blog. I've had the blog for a long time but only began using it in July of this year. It has come a long way since then, don't you think? Special thanks go out to my friend and former design team member and leader Karen for her encouragement and blog template links! I hope she starts her own blog someday too...the girl is very talented!

And the winner of the OWH blog hop candy from November 13th is #12 - Christine from Florida! HUGE congrats Christine!!!

Magnolia Has A New Blog

Many changes for the Swedish company that makes the wonderful, beloved Magnolia rubberstamp collection. In September they moved to a new location doubling their size and now a new blog.

Every day in December they will be having a giveaway from their advent calendar so be sure to stop over and check things out on the new blog.