Michael's $ Bin

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since early December, but then again, I really haven't done anything either! Well, I though I'd share what I found at Michael's in the dollar bin this week. They've re-stocked them and they have the cutest things. I really had to stop myself from getting more. I always just get the bling and stamps, but they also have note cards, boxes and just tons of other stuff in matching sets. I love it all!

Isn't it all beautiful? I especially love the flat backed pearls and made sure I got some in every color! I may go  back and get some of the note cards that match those shoe stamps. Thinking that would make a nice little gift for someone.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed seeing my new goodies. Now to create something to use them on. I'm going to try to be better about that, and about posting here too.
Thanks for stopping by!
Maria

And the Winners Are...

First off, I apologize for not posting this sooner. Life has been hectic around our house the last couple of days. After living for over a year with no flooring in most of our downstairs, we finally got tile installed this past weekend. (long story involving bad plumbing and insurance. I won't bore you with the details.) Between moving everything out, putting it back, and cleaning up, I am exhausted! Now we still have to do our Christmas decorating. I think we may just put the tree up this year.

So, on to the fun stuff. The winners of the Christmas Blog Hop giveaways, chosen by Random.org, are:
Day one, Christmas Cards cartridge- Teachermom
Day two, embellishments- Jody/Coo-Coo Cricut
I'll be getting in touch so I can get these mailed to you ASAP.

I have to thank all the wonderfully talented ladies from the Circle who were part of the hop. You made my first hop a great experience.

Also, thank you to everyone for your kind comments. I do appreciate them. One of the best things to me about being part of the crafting community is that we all share and inspire each other. If I have inspired anybody to do something creative, well that just makes me feel good!

A special thank you to those of you who have become followers. To me that is the best compliment!

I'm glad you all decided to join us for the hop. Definitely planning to do more in the future. For now, I'll just settle for getting things back to normal at my house, whatever that is!

Take care,
Maria

Christmas Blog Hop, Day Two

Hello and welcome to day two of our Christmas Blog Hop. If you are following the hop you should have arrived here from http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/ . If you missed any of the other blogs, I have them listed below.

Today's project is definitely something different for me but I am so pleased with the results! I found these ornaments in the Oriental Trading Catalog in October and thought they would work great with some Cricut cuts. The back is flat and measures about 2 3/4" by 2" so you are somewhat limited to the images you can use. First, I placed paper on the inside back using Mod Podge. I also applied Mod Podge to the inside edges of the front and sprinkled with Martha Stewart Snow Glitter. The images are from the Christmas Cards cartridge and are cut at 2 1/4". Instead of cutting the individual layers, I cut the main layer, or largest, of each image 3 times and put foam tape between each layer.Then I attached it to the ornament back with foam tape. After it was all put together, I glued a piece of ribbon around the outer edge then added some greenery to the top. Oh, and the paper I used on the snowman's hat and scarf is from some cards from the Michael's dollar bin. Thanks to Envys from goingbuggy.blogspot.com for the idea!

Brads , Oriental Trading and Queen and Co.; Paper, Deja Views Fair Isle Christmas and scraps; Glitter, Martha Stewart Snow glitter and Crystal Fine glitter; Ribbon, Michaels; Flat back pearls, Stampin Up.

And now, here is today's blog candy. Lots of embellishments to help finish up those Christmas projects. I've also included 2 of the plastic ornament. Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win.
Thanks so much for joining us in our Christmas Blog Hop. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did creating for it. Again, here is a list of the other participants.
Happy Holidays,
Maria

Josy http://josyscraftcorner.blogspot.com/
TheScrapbookGirl http://www.cricutconfessions.com/
1squirrelygirl www.nutsaboutcuts.com
Poohbearbaby http://www.looneybugdesigns.com
Mandy http://mandys-scrap.blogspot.com/
AthenaHarris1 http://www.pixellaynestudio.blogspot.com/
Shawneestamper http://www.paperfrolic.blogspot.com/
ScrappidyAshy http://www.scrappidyashy.blogspot.com/
Bobbi's Hobbies http://bobbishobbies.blogspot.com/
Craftyscentiments http://www.craftyscentiments.com/
Bits-N-pieces http://bitz-n-pieces89.blogspot.com/
Kreimers http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/

Christmas Blog Hop

Hi. I'm so excited to be participating in my very first blog hop! This is the last stop on the hop and you probably arrived here from http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/. If you just happened to stop by and would like to start at the beginning, I've listed the other blogs at the end of this post. This is a two day hop and I have some blog candy to give away on each day. To be eligible to win all you have to do is leave a comment on the posts. I'll draw the winners on Tuesday, December 7th. Oh, and please leave a way for me to get a hold of you. Today's give away is the Cricut Christmas Cards Winter Collection cartridge. Ok, so now on to today's project. Since I'm giving away a copy of the Christmas Cards cart, I thought I would use mine in my projects. Here's the first card. I didn't use the cut sentiment, but instead opted for a stamp.
Card and layers cut at 4.5"; Stamped sentiment, Flourishes; Embossing powder, Clear tops Black Gems; Glitter, Martha Stewart Crystal Fine; Snow writer; Glossy accents;
Paper,DejaViews Fair Isle Christmas, Stampin Up Riding Hood Red

Ok, so I intended to use the Christmas Cards cart exclusively, but then I got a copy of Jolly Holidays and had to use it. The images are so cute! On this one I cut her face in white then colored with Copic marker E000. I used R23 on her cheeks. I've had those little buttons forever and added some baker's twine to them before placing them on her dress.
Girl 2 image cut at 3.25" Paper, Kaiser Craft Wishlist; Glitter button, Recollections; Stamp Sentiment, Recollections; Ink, Stampin Up Riding Hood Red; Nestability Beaded Circle die

Thanks so much for hopping with us today. Don't forget to leave a comment today for a chance at winning the cartridge. Please stop back tomorrow, I actually made something besides cards! I will also have some fun blog candy again.
Happy Holidays,
Maria

Josy http://josyscraftcorner.blogspot.com/
TheScrapbookGirl http://www.cricutconfessions.com/
1squirrelygirl www.nutsaboutcuts.com
Poohbearbaby http://www.looneybugdesigns.com
Mandy http://mandys-scrap.blogspot.com/
Scrapperbecka http://creationswithbecka.blogspot.com/
AthenaHarris1 http://www.pixellaynestudio.blogspot.com/
Shawneestamper http://www.paperfrolic.blogspot.com/
ScrappidyAshy http://www.scrappidyashy.blogspot.com/
Bobbi's Hobbies http://bobbishobbies.blogspot.com/
Craftyscentiments http://www.craftyscentiments.com/
Bits-N-pieces http://bitz-n-pieces89.blogspot.com/
Kreimers http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/

Gingerbread Couple

Here's a quick and easy card I made using the new Gingerbread Seasonal Mini cartridge. I love gingerbread men, so this cart was a must have for me! I love how easy the images go together. I plan on using it for at least a few of my Christmas cards.
The paper for the cute couple is from K and Co, Yultide. I used a Peachy Keen stamp on their faces. The plaid paper is from DCWV, Homemade Christmas. The top piece was cut with a Martha Stewart Loop edge punch and I wrapped some baker's twine around it. also from Martha Stewart. The stamped sentiment is from Recollections and the buttons from the Michael's dollar bin.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day.
Maria

And the Bride Wore...Converse?

This past Saturday my best friend's youngest daughter was married. Her colors were purple and orange, which I thought a bit odd, but it worked. The theme, I guess, was Converse. As in the tennis shoes. Yes, the bride and the entire wedding party wore them. (Not the groom though, he wore his Air Force dress blues so that would have been a no-no.) Anyway, I discovered a new talent, flower arranging and bouquet making! I was at her house all morning Friday helping to make the bouquets (6 total), corsages and boutonnieres. Fortunately my daughter has done this before, so she knew exactly what to do. I have decided that I much prefer working with paper! The wedding was beautiful, the weather couldn't have been more perfect and everything went off without a hitch. Here's the card I made for them.
The shoe cut is from the Lite cartridge, Slumber Party. It was too perfect! The background paper is from the DCWV Fairy Tale Princess stack. The lace is Wright's. The label is from Spellbinders Fancy Tags set. The sentiment was computer generated. The jewels are from Imaginesce. The other papers and ribbon were scraps I had on hand.
I hope they like the card and I also wish them many years of happiness together!
Thanks for stopping by.
Maria

My First Blog Award!

I guess I should check in my blog more often because I would have known sooner about this award. Thank you so much Christine at http://scrappin-nanapuddin.blogspot.com/ for sharing this it with me!

Here are the rules to this award
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay it forward to 8 blogs you have just recently discovered
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award

So, 8 things about me:
1: I was born in Japan.
2: My mother is a naturalized citizen originally from Germany.
3: I am married to my best friend who is wonderfully understanding of my hobby!
4: My mom taught me to crochet when I was 7.
5: I taught myself how to sew in my early teens and used to make most of my clothes.
6: I love my kids and grand kids!
7: I have a toy poodle, Dixie, who is my constant companion.
8:I bought my oldest daughter a plum Cricut for Christmas. Now she can share in my obsession.

Here are the 8 blogs I would like to pay it forward to:
Inspired by color
Just Call Me a Crafty Frog
Scrap Happens
Kreations by Kim
Country Chick Creations
Craft Castle
Purtty Paperz
With Glittering Eyes
My Place to Blog in Wyoming

Thanks again so much. It really does mean a lot to me!
Maria