Christmas Advent Calendar

WOW! Christmas is JUST around the corner! I can't believe it. Thanksgiving was wonderful, spent with family. We were able to hit the stores early this morning and catch some good bargins, but it reminded me just how close to Christmas we really are - 31 days to be exact!
So, I came up with this little clipboard Advent Calendar to begin the countdown! (Cased from several examples on SCS) The chipboard calendar, papers, and stamps are all from TAC. The ribbons are just scraps I've been hanging onto. Each numbered tag has a magnet on the back to make the countdown a breeze! I have a little pocket on the back to hold the unused numbers.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas!

St. Louis

I just returned from a week in St. Louis. I went with a colleague for an Infection Control conference with APIC. We arrived on Sunday afternoon. Once we checked into the hotel, we decided to do some exploring. We were several miles from "downtown" and rather than taking a cab, decided to hit the Metro. We had lunch at the Hard Rock, Union Station, then headed downtown. We walked and walked. The day was perfect - the air light and crisp, the trees turning, and the sun warm! Unfortunately, tickets to go to the top of the Arch were sold out for the day, so we only got some pictures from the outside. We saw some other sights and headed back to the hotel.
The conference was good, but the evenings were even better! We spent our evenings exploring the area around the hotel. We were in a fairly wealthy area of town, so we were able to visit a galleria, and some exclusive wine/cheese shops. I ended up buying a couple of great bottles that I'm not able to get here.
Well, back to work and the real world tomorrow!

Etsy Store

Etsy Store!

Thanks, Mabelle! I finally opened my Etsy Store!!!! Please take a couple of minutes and check it out. I have posted this calendar for purchase, but could also custom create one just for you using your favorite colors, theme, or designer paper collection!

Becky's Halloween Challenge

Just before we left Orlando, Becky threw out a challenge to Misty and I to create a Halloween card using at least one of the Michaels $1 bin Halloween stamps and post before Halloween.
Well, here's what I came up with....
The card is purple cardstock (5 1/2" Square). The edges are inked using Noir Palette ink (TAC). The next layer is a 5" square dark metallic Emerald cardstock with the corners punched using a ticket punch. I then placed a birch colored cardstock (TAC) on top of the emerald cardstock and stamped my image. I paper-pieced the numbers using Adam's Family cardstock from Rusty Pickle. I then cut a frame (4 1/2" Square) from black cardstock and also ticket punched the corners. I adorned the left edge of the frame with a scrap of green gingham ribbon. Using a simple Iris folding technique, I filled in the black frame using scraps of the Adam's Family cardstock. I attached the frame in place on top of the layers to complete the card.
Thanks, Becky! I had a great time doing this card!

More Ghoulish Goodies

I had such a GREAT time creating these little goody boxes! I got the template from Brenda Quintana on Split Coast Stampers. They are SO easy and quick to make. They would be awesome for a classroom treat or a little party favor! I used Sparkle Ima Ghost (Cloud9Design) cardstock for the box. I cut a 12" X 12" sheet into an 8 1/2" X 11", and ran it through my printer to get the pattern. I adorned it with Halloween ribbon from Michaels, and used a little purple stickles (TAC) for some BLING! I stamped "BOO" (Papertrey) onto the acetate window using black stazon ink (TAC) and outlined using black stickles (TAC). The box is aged using a sponge and a little Noir Palette ink (TAC). Enjoy!