Ghiradelli Christmas Boxes

A few years ago I came across the cutest little box on Splitcoast Stampers that was made for the little Ghiradelli Choclate squares. I loved the box but didn't want to do all the measuring so I made a cut file for the box. At that time I also didn't have the punches I do now so I made the little scallop squares in the .cut file as well so I could cut them out.

This year I decided to make some of the boxes to give to some of my favorite dealers, poker dealers that is, Linda told me I should verify what type of dealer I was talking about so no one would get the wrong idea *okie thinks Linda is so bossy sometimes*.

Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression
Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cart
Cricut Design Studio
GHIRADELLI BOX .CUT FILE
Various Cardstock and paper
Stampin Up Scallop Square punch
Stampin Up 1" Square Punch
Martha Stewart Holly Leaf punch
Hot Fix gems



For complete instructions, with pictures, please click HERE.The .cut file is set to cut 3 boxes at a time.


As you can see the little sqaures of chocolate fit wonderfully in the box. If you have the flat ones then 4 squares will fit but if you have the filled chocolate squares only 3 will fit.

To close the box the flap just slides behind the scallop square that is applied with mounting foam.

I used the Martha Stewart Holly Punch to punch out holly leaves in two different colors of green. I used a green marker for the line down the center of the leaves. The berries are hot fix rhinestones.







These make great little party favors and one of the things I like about them is that they are great for any occasion. Decorating with themed paper can make them usable for any holiday or event.

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Shadow Box Layout

I thought I better get to posting the Shadow Box Layout that Linda, aka LGuild, and I worked on over the weekend since I had talked about it several times. The flowers are from Flower Shoppe and the frame around the picture is from Art Philosophy.

Supplies Used:
Shadow Box - Michaels
Cricut Flower Shoppe cart
Cricut Art Philosophy cart
Various Pattern paper
Various cardstock
Kaiser Pearls
Color Box Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Pearl Brads
Chipboard Shapes
Small Tatted Doilies
Velour Scallop Ribbon
Braiding Trim
Perfect Layers trim set

The shadow box Linda found was suppose to be for a t-shirt display box, however it worked perfectly for the layout she was wanting to do. She sent me a picture of a layout she found that she liked and thought would work with the picture. She brought the sentiment she wanted to be included.

In order to get the layout centered we measured in and then marked with a pen the 12x12 centered area and then just used the ATG gun to apply the tape and then place the layout accordingly.



I totally cheated and used the Design Studio file I had from the MEMORIES frame that I had done for the flowers. They seemed to work well for the layout and the number of flowers worked as well. This way we didn't have to figure out sizes and such.




I did add pearl brads for the flower centers, trying to use different pearls for each flower type.



Linda thought of the idea for the pearls on the flourishes. She did help some by pushing the load and unload button on the Cricut. She also glued the cardstock to the chipboard shapes. 





We had a great time working on the layout even though it seemed to take all day. That might have been because we took multiple breaks and of course we had to go to lunch and the scrapbook store! Linda was kind enough to buy my lunch, saying it was my pay and that I was earning about $2 a hour! HA HA HA

Cleaning up the craft desk....

My friend Linda came down Saturday and we worked on a shadow box layout that she is wanting to give as a gift for Christmas, I will post about it tomorrow, but while she was here we discussed how I have to clean up my craft table when I finish a project. I am lucky that it only takes me probably less than a minute and a half to have everything clear and back in it's place.  I literally have both hands going at once putting things away so I can get it off the desk faster.

I have had this discussion with several people about if they have to clean their area after a project before starting a new one. I think I actually know more that don't than who do! I just can't stand to have stray pieces of paper on my desk unless of course they are for the project I am working on. I have to put up all my tools...scissors, pens, tweezerbees, rulers, etc, even if I know I am going to use them again in a few minutes on the next project.

I think maybe it just gives me a feeling of a fresh start on something and clearing my desk not only clears the last project off the desk but also out of my mind so I can focus on the new project *okie really wonders if she over analyzes things sometimes*, really just giving me a clean slate to start anew.

So do you have to clean off your work area before starting a new project???

Dancing Christmas Tree - Card

I call this the Dancing Christmas Tree because that is what my friend Carmen said it looked like. I made 18 of these cards and I am lucky I got that many done. I was just really stuck this year on what to do for Christmas cards. They aren't elaborate but they will have to do!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Paper Trimmings cartridge
GCD Studios Winter Wonderland pattern paper
DCWV Metallic Cardstock
Stampin Up Scallop Circle Punch
3/8" Grosgrain ribbon
Signo UM 153 White gel pen
Janome Sew Mini
Hot Fix Gems

I really love this tree! I thought it was going to be a pain to cut with all the little intricate designs in the middle but it cut wonderfully. When I received the Paper Trimmings cartridge I knew I wanted to use something from it for my Christmas cards. This cartridge was the latest the Cricut Circle members received as part of the membership. 

Adding the hot fix gems and the white dots really made the tree stand out on the card. I did ink the edges of the tree with a dark green but you can't really tell in the picture. The tree is cut from the back of the striped paper, I really love double sided paper sometimes!!

The "Seasons Greetings" is an embossed seal sticker I got from Staples several years ago. I think I paid about a quarter a package for them. I hadn't used them until now and I thought they made a great sentiment for the front of this card. I think it probably measures about 1 1/4"since I used the 1 3/8" circle punch on some dark green cardstock to help border the embossed seal.


Like I said, these cards aren't as elaborate or cute as I have done in the past but for this year...they will just have to do!

Linda is coming tomorrow to have me help her alter a frame and work on some dry erase boards that she is wanting to give as gifts. I am sure that will be causing a trip to the scrapbook store, darn the luck! HA HA HA Later today I plan on working on some of the Ghiradelli boxes. I want to give those to my poker dealers as a little gift. I will be taking pictures of those to post.

Christmas Shopping....

should not be so difficult!

I have a friend that I would like to get a Christmas gift for but what the heck to get him I just don't know! Seriously the man probably has everything he wants or needs. I asked him and he said "oh just whatever cologne you like"....REALLY?? I really don't think he wants a bottle of Mary Kay Belara! I am not use to shopping for a man. I realize this now *okie smacks herself on the forehead for not thinking about this a few weeks ago instead of waiting 10 days before Christmas*. He did say something about some cologne and I looked it up and found it on eBay. Believe me when I say he won't be getting it. There is no way in hell I would ever pay $1,200 for a set of vintage cologne!

So now the dilemma is what to give this person! A tie? The man probably has over 100. A shirt? Nope, doesn't need any of those. A pair of pants...he mainly wears suits. Not getting him jewelry *okie gets a little freaked out by men who wear too much jewelry*, he doesn't have time to go to sporting events and not that there would really be any good ones to go to around here, don't know what size shoes he wears and not gonna ask, not getting anything for his vehicle...it's fully loaded, and tools are out of the question! *okie cracks up even thinking about him using a drill or router* So I am just stuck!

I now realize why I have a lot of female friends rather than male friends. Females are so much more easier to shop for and please! I never even had to ask any of my female friends what they would like for Christmas...I usually always know what they would like and if all else fails I can just make them something.

Ya know come to think of it, that Old Spice guy on TV is kinda sexy and since Dos Equis beer makes a man the most interesting man in the world I am thinking a bottle of beer and some Old Spice and calling it good! *okie walks off huffin and cussin about avoiding male friends in the future*

Recipe Books

I posted about the recipe books a few weeks ago and how I was working on them and determined to get them done for the party. I was able to get all 4 completed and used them as prizes. My friend Carmen knew I had been working on them and when she found out that she was going to be able to make it to the party she said "I don't care if I win anything else, I just want a recipe book!"

I used the Cinch and 1 1/4" wires to bind the books. If you are on the fence about whether to get a Bind It All or a Cinch I would highly recommend the Cinch. It is very simple to use and is pretty much dummy proof *okie wonders if she should share why she says almost and then decides she doesn't want her readers to know she once again messed something up due to watching TV while trying to craft*. Another recommendation I have is Undu...it really is a scrappers best friend *okie laughs at her having to 'undu' pages because of the Cinch mishap*. The pages of the book are 6x6 inches.

Some of the pages have been posted before but I am posting all of them now in sequential order so you can see how it looked completed. You can click on the pictures to see them bigger if you would like to see more details.

Back when I started the books there wasn't a lot of "cooking" themed paper available, but 3 years later there are some wonderful lines and gorgeous fun papers to use for such projects. There also wasn't any food themed Cricut cuts, so some of the cuts you see are ones I designed myself when I started the books. For the cover I used CM Traveler, Graphically Speaking and From My Kitchen. The patterned paper is TPC Studios - So Delish.




I know I could have added more recipes by forgoing on the index and divider pages but to be honest I wanted to keep the book true to the title, "favorite recipes". Since I don't like to cook I really don't have a lot of favorites. This is the index page where the list of recipes are and also the title page for the appetizer section. The word "index" is from Feeling Groovy. I feel in love with that cart as soon as I saw it. I just love the funkiness of the font. On the opposite page I used From My Kitchen and Block Party.



These pages are two of the ones I completed 3 years ago, like I said earlier, back then there wasn't the huge selection of cuts that are available now. I used Cutting Up for the title on Bacon Crisp, the pig's head is from Animal Kingdom and I pop dotted the snot for a little dimension. The chicken head is from Animal Kingdome as well. I used some little black brads for the eyes of the chicken. I wanted some dimension in the book so tried to add where I could but without making it too thick.

I honestly don't remember what cart the spoon came from, but I believe I added the little handle top myself. These pages were some I did 3 years ago as well. On the 7 layer Salad the title is from Printing Press, one of my favorite fonts! The salad bowl is one I made and I used Mulberry paper for the lettuce and some skittles to look like little tomatoes. I believe they are more red looking in person than they are in the photo.



 
I had finished the Steak Marinade page years ago so the steak is an original design of mine that I made. I wanted to use a steak for obvious reasons and of course back then there were very few food cuts available. For those that don't know, I use to make a lot of original cut files using George and Basic Shapes. On the Main Dish I used Feeling Groovy on the title and the place setting is from From My Kitchen. I just did a hand cut for the placemat.

 The chicken is from Animal Kingdom. I did some doodling on the chicken because without it the poor little chicken just blended to the background paper too much. The crockpot is an original cut file I made and the title on that page is from Base Camp. Way back when, there was a person who was doing a recipe page for a swap and needed a crockpot so I did share the file and I think I did several different sizes.




I used Cursive 101 for the title on Pepper Steak. Now we have several font cartridges that weld well together that are cursive type but back then this was the cartridge to have since most others were more of a print font. The bell pepper is an original cut file I made. The little pig is from Animal Kingdom and I used the Cricut markers to help outline the little pig so he stood out a little more.

The potatoes are just ovals from George and Basic Shapes. I inked to give them some more detail so they would just look like ovals and then I used stylus to add some little "eyes", which might be hard to see in the photo. The carrot is an original cut file I made. On the Sweet Shop I used Pop Up Neighborhood, which is a Circle Exclusive cartridge. That cart has gotten bad reviews because of the lack of instructions for making the pop up cards but I love it for the variety of cuts, such as this little bakery and doubt I ever use it for making a card. 

The "Better Than Sex Dessert" recipe was a little lengthy and I didn't have much room for embellishing. I also wondered how I would embellish according to title since that is what I tried to do on most of the recipes. I thought the ribbon and little flower worked fine in this case. The title on the other page is from Alphalicious. I did like the background paper for the dessert recipes, at least back then. I am glad that now days we have a lot more variety of cooking themed papers.

The scallop circle and circles are Stampin Up punches. The little stamp is from Stampin Up as well.  That page went together really quickly, thank goodness because I remember getting tired of making recipe pages and started trying to find the easy way out on some of these. The pecan pie title is from Old West.






I think the cake on the Pig Pickin Cake is from Sweet Treats but I can't be sure and to tell ya the truth, I am too lazy to go look it up. I wanted to make sure the winners of the recipe books remembered where the book came from and when so I wrote a little poem and signed my name. I also added the year at the bottom.




All 4 of the receipents of the recipe books were thrilled with their prize and while it took a long time to finish these I know it was worth getting the projects done.

I have always been a crafter....

My earliest memories of doing arts and crafts is helping my mom and sister sew flowers and pearls on the train of my sisters wedding dress. I was about 8 years old at the time. That was also about the time my mom taught me how to use a sewing machine. She started me out on some cardboard inserts that came in a package of pantyhose. She drew straight lines, curved lines, spirals and rectangles so I could learn to follow the guide on the sewing machine.

My next craft was my Aunt Mary teach me how to embrodiery. I made a dresser scarf that had the heads of Laborador Retrievers on the ends. I was so proud and gave it to my grandma and grandpa for their 50th wedding anniversary. Of course my grandma acted like it was the most wonderful thing ever and she kept it until she died. I think it was actually given back to me and is probably in a dresser drawer in my guest room. I, not being my grandmother, think the thing is hideous and don't want a soul to see it!

My mother then taught me how to crochet and I would make baby aghans and hats. I even sold some of the hats and pot holders when I was in grade school to make Christmas money. Soon I moved on to Cross Stitch, which I taught myself to do. I also taught myself to knit but found I didn't care for it much, it was too easy to make a mistake.

I have dabbled in a little of everything from the things I have talked about to woodworking, cake decorating, ceramics, quilting, beadwork and decorative painting before I got into papercrafting. Just to show you guys I haven't always been a papercrafter and that I did things before getting my Cricut I thought I would post a picture of an ornament I painted about 10 years ago.

This is a light bulb that hand burned out. I had found a book at Hobby Lobby that had instructions for several designs. I made Santa Claus's, penguins, bird houses and snowmen. I might have done some others too but have slept since then and don't remember.

I made some for my friends for Christmas one year and they loved them. I think I might make some for prizes for my Christmas party next year. That is, if I can stop papercrafting long enough to pick up the paint brush again!

Altered Frame - Memories

I saved this frame to post last because it was my favorite and I think by far the best of the frames I did. I sure didn't want to post it first and then have you guys look at the others and think "damn okie that one looks like chit compared to the first one" *okie smiles slyly at the methods to her madness*.

I actually saved this frame to use as my Dirty Santa gift. I was concerned people wouldn't care for the frames but after sending pictures to a friend who said she loved them I thought the frames would make good prizes. I made this frame last and even I was impressed with how it turned out! Of course it wasn't my talent that made the frame but the awesome elements that worked together and the benefit of using the Flower Shoppe cartridge! I spent quite a bit of time on this frame, mostly because of the cutting of flowers and assembling.

Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish 12x12 Memory Frame
Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden Collection
Various Cardstock
Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge
Cricut Home Decor cartridge
Imaginesce Heat Set Pearls
Small Doilies
Glimmer Mist
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Glittered Brads




 

I am really enjoying making the flowers and they are a lot more simple than I thought they would be. I can't wait to do some more of these for some projects. I of course used Design Studio to layout the basic flower so I could figure out the sizes I needed. I did two different leave cuts for the frame and folded them in half before scrunching the ends toward the middle. 




 
I used a background swirl stamp and did heat embossing before assembling but after adding the glimmer mist you can't really see the embossing much in the picture. It did show up a little better in person. Next time I will forgo the Glimmer Mist if I want to add heat embossing to the flowers.




 

Inking the edges of the flowers seemed to give them a more realistic look and besides, ya'll know I have an inking fetish *okie is seriously thinking of seeking treatment*. You can see the brads a little better in this picture. I just used regular brads I got on clearance at the Dollar Store and put a glue dot on top and then dipped in some glitter. It's an inexpensive way to make glitter brads and you can make the color you want.


 
On the title I inked the lower half of memories because it just looked a bit stark at first. I like how the inking only half made it seem to blend better in with the theme and elements. I cut the title shadow out of some chipboard to help give it a little more dimension.





 I think one reason I am enjoying making these frames so much is because you can add so much dimension to it without worrying about the elements getting smashed like they might if it were a scrapbook page going in a scrapbook.  One thing I have done since making the frames is invest in a fine tip glue gun. The one I had has a larger tip and was a little to difficult to work with on some of the smaller items such as the flower centers.

Like I posted last week, Consumer Crafts is having their shipping special for the rest of the month and while they are still having the special I am going to order quite a few of the 12x12 frames and probably a few of the smaller ones. I am actually thinking of making some...okay ya'll don't faint...and selling them!! *okie watches a few of her readers faint* Uh will someone grab the smelling salts?

Altered Frame - You & Me

I love the colors in this frame and it seems very cheerful. This design would be great for a couple, a parent and child, friends, etc. I liked that it had endless possibilities for the photo to be used.

Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish 12x12 Memory Frame
Fancy Pants All Fall
Various cardstock
Cricut CM Cheerful Seasons cartridge
Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge
Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes folder
Stampin Up marker
Pearl Glimmer Mist
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Signo UM 153 white gel pen






That little bird has two light blue layers and two medium blue layers. I used mounting foam between the layers to give him dimension, it is hard to tell in the photo though. I actually had the flower left over from another project but since it was the same paper and seemed to go well I thought "what the heck girl...USE IT!" and so I did. I used a Decorative Accent, also known as a "skittle" on the Cricut MB for the eye. I colored the bottom with a black ProMarker before attaching to the bird.




The title shadow was cut twice out of brown for added dimension. I pop dotted the shadow layers. I also pop dotted the ampersand, but before doing that I ran it through the Distressed Stripe Cuttlebug folder and sanded lightly.

Glimmer mist was added on the flourishes for a little subtle bling look.


Make sure to come back tomorrow for my favorite frame I altered. I actually used it as my Dirty Santa gift and it was a HUGE SUCCESS!

Altered Frame - Mon Amour

While this frame doens't have much Cricut on it, I am still pleased with the overall look! I think it would be great for that special guy in your life of a picture of your children...or heck, even your favorite pet!

Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish 12x12 Memory Frame
Basic Grey Boxer Collection
Coredinations Color cardstock
Cricut Sentimentals cartridge
Cuttlebug Textile folder
Stampin Up marker
Heat set studs
Cat Eye Chalk Ink

This size frame holds a 5x7 picture and it can be turned to use horizontally or vertically.





I wanted to add a little texture to the title so I ran the title through the Cuttlebug using the Textile folder and then sanded lightly to allow the color core of the Core'dinations to come through. Please excuse the glue mess on the blue cardstock, that is what happens when you try to watch Gibbs and craft at the same time *okie so knows better than to try and do anything while Jethro Gibbs is on the screen*.

The chipboard pieces are from the Basic Grey Boxer collection as well and since they seemed to work well for the frame it saved me from having to find elements on Cricut cartridges to use. I thought the use of the flower kept this from being a totally masculine frame, it gives a softness without too much femininity to the over all look. My friend Andrea is the one that won this frame and said "OMG! I love it. I don't know what it says...BUT I LOVE IT!". I had to tell her it meant "my love".

After I got the frame completed I thought it just needed something and that is when I added the silver heat set studs, that just seemed to give it that little UM-PF needed.


Tomorrow's frame will have more Cricut elements. Don't forget that Consumer Crafts is having their shipping special for the rest of the month...$1.97 on any order!

Altered Frame - Key to my Heart

This is the first of four 12x12 frames I will be posting, and I have to say it is my least favorite. I don't know if I just think it is bland or what. However, my party guests loved it, but it was the first one opened and they all felt they just got better as each one was opened.



Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish 12x12 Memory Frame
The Paper Studio Mirabelle stack
Cricut Sentimentals cartridge
Stampin Up marker
Tassel cord
3/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
Cat Eye Chalk Ink

Consumer Crafts is having a $1.97 shipping promo until the end of the month so if you are interested in ordering frames now would be a great time to do so! The shipping will not show up until you get ready to place your order, then it will have the special price in there.



I used some tassel cord I had gotten at a garage sale to make the little tassel for the key and I think it might be the only thing that saved this frame, well at least in my eyes. All the cuts are from Sentimentals and I like the concept of the frame, maybe I just think the colors are to blah. I added some faux stitching to try and make it look a little more interesting. I think the final recipient of the frame was still pleased with their prize so guess it was okay anyway.

Tomorrows frame will be a lot better!

Altered Frames - 9 x 7 sizes

I made a few of the altered frames for the Christmas party and my guests loved them! The ones I am posting today are the smaller frames and hold 4x6 photos. I am so in love with altering these frames and I am hoping to do a lot more for next years party.

Supplies Used:
Ready to Finish 9x7 Memory Frame
My Minds Eye Laundry Line
Petaloo Flowers
Stampin Up button
Stampin Up Ticket Punch
Cuttlebug Cut Emboss Butterfly
Want 2 Scrap bling
Grosgrain Ribbon
Cat Eye Chalk Ink

I tried to go with colors that were neutral on most of the frames I made. It is difficult when you don't know who is going to receive a particular gift and if they will be able to use it. Luckily my guests were good about trading if they felt it was something someone else could make better use of. I had gotten some Laundry Line titles really cheap some time ago and they worked great with the frames.




I layered two Petaloo flowers and used a darker color thinking this oculd be used for a female or male. The center of teh flower is a Corduroy Kiwi Kiss button from Stampin Up. The flowers did come with centers but I thought the button added some nice texture and dimension.

I added a circle of chipboard on the back of the flower to give it some body and then used mounting foam to make the flower pop up a bit. I also used chipboard behind the titles and popped them with mounting foam. It's hard to see the dimension in pictures but in real life..it is there!






This one is probably definitely more feminine with the butterflies and bling but I just loved the paper and couldn't resist using it. The title tag is another from the grab bag of titles I got. I already had the Laundry Line stack and the titles match perfectly.







I cut and embossed the butterfly out of some green cardstock and then inked it lightly on the top and then around the edges.I then cut and embossed a butterfly out of some acetate, more specifically the acetate that the Cricut cartridges come packaged in. I added two copper brads to the middle of the butterfly to hold the layers together and then gently bent the acetate layer up a little so it wouldn't just lay flat on the green cardstock. I added the clear bling swirl along the bottom of the butterfly to give it a flight pattern effect.



I will be posting the 12x12 frames I did over the next few days so be sure to come back and see how those turned out!

What Is Really Important This Time Of Year

During the Christmas Holidays so many people are bustling around buying gifts, cooking meals, it's a time where most people spend the joyous season with family and friends that they haven't seen in a year, or maybe just saw last week. Rarely do you find those who don't spend the holiday surrounded in the bosom of family and friends. But I know of a few populations of people who have a difficult time during this time of year. Often the severely mentally ill have no family to spend the holidays with and also I see this with the developmentally delayed population I work with several days a week.

I was having a group session at the ICF/MR where I have clients, you might remember the grasshopper story, and the topic was how to cope with the holidays. Some of the women discussed how they feel bad for those who don't have family to spend time with and think those people would feel sad. Suddenly one of the women started crying and said "I wish I could be with my family". Immediately the other four women set aside their excitement about going home and spending time with family to give attention to this group member who was sobbing and heart broken. One started patting her on the back and saying "I love you" and the others soon cooed in with sincere statements of "I love you too" and "I care about you". In just a matter of minutes the woman who had been crying was smiling and wiping her tears. She thanked the other group members and told them she appreciated them caring about her. I sat there rather amazed how quickly they tuned in on the woman's feelings of pain and despair and wanted to make sure she was not alone and that there were people who love her and care about her, even if her family hasn't come for years to see her, they were there for her.

I sometimes just wonder if this residential community I go to several days a week isn't some type of self check that God makes sure I get, letting me know that every little small thing matters. It never ceases to amaze me at the love and support the residents can share with one another. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a Utopia by a long shot. They have their times of bickering and behaviors but it just always seems that when one of them starts hurting there are those that flock to that person soothing their hurt feelings with words of encouragement and love.

I generally feel we live in a wondrous world that is full of blessings but sometimes feel as a society we get lost in the self absorbed issues we feel are problems and get to feeling sorry for ourselves about stuff that doesn't really matter. As I watched the comforting going on of this group of women who will never have the opportunities in life that most of us are afforded I realized that to them just being able to offer words of encouragement and a loving pat on the back or a tender hug was worth more than all the gold in the world. Shouldn't we all be so lucky to know what is really important this time of year...the giving of ourselves to others!

Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party - Goodie Bags

WAS ANOTHER HUGE SUCCESS!

I picked up Karen and a surprise guest from the airport on Thursday. Karen flew in from Connecticut and had a connecting flight in Houston. When she arrived she got a surprise as my friend Carmen was there. Karen had no idea that Carmen was coming! It was really hard to keep it a secret but it was so worth surprising Karen. Carmen had made a video of her surprising Karen but I can't get the sound to work so I can load it to my blog *okie really thinks she needs to take some video classes or something*.

On Friday Karen, Carmen and I ran around and got some of our last minute shopping done and had lunch with Naomi, which it just happened to be Naomi's birthday so we each took her a birthday card as well. That afternoon my sister Cheryl and my friend Robyn made it in.

Back to the party stuff...each guest received a goodie bag filled with some little gifts from me. Here are some pictures.

After Christmas last year I found Santa hats on clearance for 25 cents and I knew they would make good little goodie bags for my guests so I snatched up a bunch of them. To make them keep their "bowl shape" I used a safety pin to pin up the pointy end to the side of the hat. I used some paper twisted up to make the circle stay at the bottom.  I used green and white tissue paper to add a little bit of festivity and the filled with the goodies.




You might have already seen the wine charm that I posted yesterday, but these were put in the goodie bags, hanging from the ribbon on the Santa Bucks holders. This is a little bit better of a picture than I posted yesterday. You can see more detail of the beads and coloring on the charm. They were super simple to make and everyone loved having their own wine charm.










Each year my guests get Santa Bucks for the auction, this year I used Tags, Bags, Boxes and more to make the little holders for the Santa Bucks. I used my Stampin Up scallop punch to make the red circle and used Microsoft Word to print the white and then punched with a circle punch. I added some white silver adorned ribbon around the middle and then added some at the top.

They each started out with 280 Santa Bucks and were able to earn more by winning at the games they played.







These little stockings were found last year after Christmas as well for a quarter. I put some little dress ornaments in them that I found at a bargain store here in town. I forgot to take pictures of them. Each dress was a little different and my friend Lisa wrote on the back of each one "7th Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party Dec 3, 2011". My hand writing is awful, I so appreciated Lisa taking the time to help me with them! She also helped with getting most of the stuff ready for the goodie bags.

I used the scallop punch again for the little tag on the stocking.





Another little goodie I put in the bags was a spa sock cupcake. I used Cupcake Wrappers to make the wrapper and chose this one because I thought it looked the most festive for Christmas.

Here is a great tutorial on how to make the Spa Sock Cupcakes.
GREENBEAN CRAFTEROLE SPA SOCK CUPCAKE

I think I cut these at 3.5 inches, how big you need to cut them depends individually on the wrapper since they seem to come out different sizes depending on the design of the wrapper.

I added a little bottle of Bath and Body Works lotion and a little squeegee in the bags as well. Everybody was thrilled with their goodie bags!

Here are some pictures of my guests looking through the goodie bags.

Karen, Andrea and my big butt

Carmen, Robyn, Nancy and Cheryl

Cheryl, Wendi, Carrie and Linda

Lucy, Me, Linda, Carmen, Wendi, Robyn, Carrie

This is a picture of the "Cricut Crew".

Back Row: LGuild, ScrapperDelighted, birdsofafeather

Front Row: Lucy, okieladybug, firewife, StarOklaCity

Shrinky Dink Wine Charms - with Video!

One of the gifts for the goodie bags for my Christmas Party guests was a personalized wine charm. I used Shrinky Dink material for the charm and my ProMarkers to color them.

Here is a picture of the finished product, well at least a few of them. I had bought a beaded necklace on sale somewhere a long time ago to make some anklets with but instead I used it for the charms. I used some jewelry wire to put the beads on and using jewelry pliers I made loops and hooks so the charms can be easily attached and removed from the stems of the glasses.

All my guests seemed to really love the charms!








Here is the video of how I made the charm part.

It's Time to Start Planning!

For next year's Girlfriend Christmas Party! I know some might think I am crazy for even thinking about it but let me tell ya, it's no easy task pulling off a party like the Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party.

I took my friends Karen and Carmen to the airport today and right now I feel like I could hit the bed and not get up for days! But since that isn't a option I am taking this evening to rest and relax before going back to work tomorrow.

All the guests seemed to really enjoy themselves and there was a lot of hooping, hollering and laughing that caused crossing of the legs *okie knows ladies will understand this one*. While I would love to share all of this with you I am just too pooped tonight to go through photos, edit, upload and write about them all. However if you would like to get some information you can check out Linda's, aka LGuild, blog at Nothin Fancy and see some of her pictures and commentary about it all.

Now I think I will grab my Kindle, head to the couch and snuggle up with my mink throw and enjoy the evening just reading and remember the great time I had with my friends over the weekend.

It Starts Today!

Sorry I haven't posted anything in the last few days but I have been so busy getting everything ready for company and the party that I haven't even had time to log into my computer!

Last night my daughter and I had to go to Home Depot and get some replacement bolts for a daybed. That seemed to take a lot longer than I thought it would but the good news is that we were able to finally find what we needed and get the daybed and trundle bed set up in one of the bedrooms. I will now have two functional guest rooms, one with a full size bed and one that can have two twin beds. I am going to need all the bed space I can get for the party this year. I am still not sure how many I will have staying over for the weekend but my rough estimate is 5-7. My friend Robyn is afraid of getting snowed in out in western Oklahoma so she will be arriving tomorrow. My sister will also be coming in tomorrow evening sometime. Today I go pick up Karen at the airport and also take care of a little surprise that I will tell you about tomorrow.

On Tuesday evening I was finally able to get all the prizes wrapped and get bows on the packages. It literally took me from the time I got home from work to the time I went to bed, which was about 6 hours, to finish wrapping the gifts and putting on the bows! Luckily some gifts were already wrapped. This picture isn't very good since it was taken with my cell phone but you can get an idea of how many prizes there are! To be honest I am not sure how many I have, somewhere between 32 and 36. I don't plan on moving them all to count either.

I got an excellent deal on the pretty foil wrapping papers I used, once again my favorite bargain store came through for me! The bows are made out of tulle. I bought several yards of blue, silver and white. I folded the tulle lengthwise and then cut 3" strips to make the bows and wrap around the packages. Tulle is awesome for bows and while it is more expensive than using the little sticky bows *okie so hates sticky bows* it is cheaper than using wired ribbon or other cloth ribbon. I love the elegance it adds to packages!

My friend came to see me last night and he said "you sure have a lot of presents under your tree" and I told him "those are all prizes!". He looked again, I think maybe trying to count, and then looked at me and said "so let me get this straight...everyone of those packages are for your friends". I told him "yep" and he shook his head and said "so you give your friends all of that and you don't get any". I laughed and told him "yep! It's my Christmas present to my friends!". He turned to me smiling and said "that's my girl! Always doing for others and never expecting anything in return". He always tells me I am going to be abundantly blessed one day and I always say "I ALREADY AM!". To tell ya the truth there is nothing that could be a better gift than having all my friends together with me for one evening a year and enjoying the laughter and love we all share.

I will be sure to try and post for tomorrow about how a little surprise that is going to happen turned out! I am hoping to be able and add pictures as well, but will have to see how it all plays out first.

ONE WEEK? WTH?

I am working frantically at this point as it really hit me this morning that I only have one week until my Girlfriend Christmas Party! Where did the time go? I always do this, thinking I have plenty of time and then the pressure gets on when I realize....I HAVE NO TIME!

This morning I am working on finishing up the wine charms for each guest. I will be posting a video of how I did the shrinky dinks for the wine charms and also the finished project. There will be other posts coming soon of some other projects that I have made for the party but don't want to post yet. So you see I have been crafting, crafting like crazy actually...I just can't post the projects until after the party.

My BFF Karen will be in on Thursday evening. I will go to OKC and pick her up at the airport. We will spend Friday doing our grocery shopping and getting the tables ready and living room ready. Karen always comes in a few days early and helps me. I am hoping to have more done this year so we can enjoy our time together instead of just working on the party stuff *okie knows in her heart that won't be happening and that poor BFF Karen will be running around as frantic as okie*. We do plan on having lunch with Naomi on Friday. I already told Naomi we would bring her lunch that day and I think she is looking forward to seeing Karen. Everyone always loves Karen! She is one of those people who are funnier than hell without even trying to be funny.

I first met Karen back in January of 1987, she was an exchange student from a university in Massachusetts. We quickly became friends and remained friends throughout the years. We would lose contact occasionally but then find each other again. Karen decided to fly out to see me several years ago and ever since then we have contact from once a week to daily. Now days if she goes a few days without returning my call I will leave her a voice mail and say "Karen, you have until tomorrow to call me. If I don't hear from you by then I AM CALLING DORIS!", Doris is Karen's mother. I generally get a call within a few hours saying "OMG! DON'T CALL DORIS!" and we both laugh.

Now you might wonder why I would worry about Karen not returning my call since she is an adult. Karen is a travel nurse and goes all over the United States to locations that she hasn't been before and where she doesn't know anyone, I being the mother hen of course worry about her. When she is driving to a new location I will work my schedule around her driving so I can be available to guide her through different highways and interstates. She does have a GPS, but let me tell ya something...those things aren't always right! I also will make hotel reservations for Karen. When she starts feeling tired she will let me know how much longer she wants to drive and I will get on the computer and start looking for hotels in the area. I should have her credit card number memorized by now as many times as I have made reservations for her, but I am not good with remembering numbers. Maybe that is why she is always so willing to tell it to me again, knowing I will never remember it *okie thinks she might write it down next time and keep it in a safe place and do some damage at the Coach Outlet*.

But back to the party! I still have some things to wrap up, literally, but must take pictures of the projects first. My daughter will work on decorating the house tomorrow. I have to get the swag bags ready, putting all the items in. I will take pictures of those as well to show you guys. I did get my Santa Bucks for the auction all printed and put in their envelopes I made *okie makes a mental note to take pictures of those and post an explanation about Santa Bucks*. Linda, aka LGuild, informed me this morning that I have to make the same appetizers I do every year, even though I was wanting to try something new I guess I won't *okie swears she has the bossiest friends on this earth*.  I have my list on the computer of things I need to do and things I have completed so I am good there. I am just afraid to look at the list and see that I might be further behind than I think! I guess I better get busy and get more things done or I will be rushing around here like a chicken with my head cut off. Now that's an odd little saying isn't it? But no time to try and contemplate where it came from...I GOT WORK TO DO!