Oh, What FUN!

How fun was Christmas this year! I think these photos tell it all! We are so blessed and thankful for this little guy! Here he is responding to his Grandpa's goofy laugh! I had to get these jammies while Christmas shopping...the front reads, What Santa doesn't bring me, Grandma will! Well, that's just about right! Not totally, but close!

Here he is just sitting back and taking it all in...I thought the Santa hat was a nice touch! Yes?

A somewhat blurry shot, but nice in front of the tree! And Grandpa wanted the shirt front to be front and center! Geesh...a grandma can spoil a little!

Thank you for indulging me and taking a peek! (again!) Hope you are having a great Tuesday! I have been trying to catch up and get back into the swing of things here in the studio! But, I discovered today that I left my camera at my cousins this past Sunday! UGH...she has to mail it and hopefully I will be able to post new creations soon!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

And what better way to warm up than a cup of a Family Favorite! Here is a hot chocolate mix (scroll down in the post for recipe) and that yummy Julie Ebersole chocolate popcorn (again, scroll down in post for recipe and instructions). Makes for a perfect combination! It is sooo cold here in Michigan. I know I should expect that, since it's winter and all, but truthfully, my bones do not like winter anymore! But I am thankful amongst all the snow, ice, and family travels, everyone arrived to their destinations and back home safely. The containers are ones my daughter saved for me. They had little melt in your mouth puffs for little ones starting to eat. All different flavors and our grandson loves them...he can pick them up by himself and that is a big deal!

JustRite sets used for the hot chocolate lid and the tag rim are from What's Cookin' and Christmas Joy respectively. I'm still using Christmas sets for winter creations! These sets offer so much more than just utilizing for the holidays...gotta love that!

JustRite's Something Sweet Set is where the adorable mug image is found! Perfect! Circle and oval Spellbinder dies are used for cutouts.

Closeup of the mug image. I Copic colored and added Dazzling Diamonds to the snowflakes and around the blue oval. Looks frosty! Ribbons used are from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.

Here are the Copic colors used. I loved how this food gift came together. And to be able to add the perfect embellishments, well, makes it JustRite!

Hope you and your loved ones experienced the best Christmas holiday ever! The new year is around the corner, ushering out 2009 and welcoming 2010! Thanks so much for stopping by and take good care!

Stamp Simply Clean & Simple Thank YOU!

Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply challenge this week is to create a clean and simple Thank YOU! Perfect timing to convey thanks for all those holiday goodies! I chose to go REALLY simple, given the hustle and bustle of the week, I just did not get much stamping done! So, I started out with a package of note cards and envies from Michaels, from the dollar bin. Eight in the pack! The cards are thick and have somewhat of a gloss finish to them, so I knew I would add my sentiment on other cardstock then adhere to the face of the card.

What better way to add "Thank You" to your creation or in this case to my package of note cards. than to reach for a favorite of mine, JustRite Brayton font. Using StazOn black ink, I stamped my image and punched with a oval SU punch.

And here is a pic of the note cards turned Thank YOU cards! I added varied sizes of adhesive pearls for interest. I LOVE how simple and clean these look! And talk about easy...that's what I still need about now! lol Have to get busy and complete a few more gifts for my hubby's family Christmas gathering. Coffee cake just came out of the oven, the french toast egg dishes done! Phew! Check out the fabulous Stamp Simply designers: Sharon Johnson Michelle Woerner (December Guest Designer) Julie Koerber Tammy Hershberger Barbara Anders Jenny Gropp AJ Otto Jennifer Buck Deb Saaranen Janine Orchard

I thank you for visiting today! I pray you are having the best Christmas day, surrounded by those you love. From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!

Belly Buttons and Chocolate Popcorn - JustRite

Two snacks that have become a tradition at Christmas! These last minute food items are a snap to make, easy to package, and so much fun to gift! The oyster cracker snack is called "Belly Buttons" and was found in our church cookbook. Our oldest daughter years ago wanted to make a fast snack and came across the recipe. She really picked it at the time for the title, we don't know why they are called belly buttons, but fun nonetheless. (recipe at end of post!) Using up those stamped images for packaging. LOVE this sentiment with the Santa Hat. They are found in "JustRite's A Merry Little Christmas Set" and work perfectly for this gift. Image is Copic colored. Red circle is edge distressed.

I started making this chocolate popcorn (scroll down a bit in post) after reading about it from Julie Ebersole. She was one of the first stampers I followed when I became acquainted with Splitcoaststampers. I have made this every year since. It is soooo easy and can be made all colors. I purchased my chocolate discs at Michaels.

Again this stamped sentiment center is found in JustRite's A Merry Little Christmas set. Ribbon used is from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Ribbon store. The two snacks together are perfect, sweet and savory! More packaging tomorrow! Have a great day and take good care!

BELLY BUTTON SNACK

1/4 teaspoon Lemon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried Dill Weed 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

One 1oz. package dry Hidden Valley Buttermilk Dressing

20-24oz. miniature oyster crackers

1/3 cup vegetable oil

*Mix lemon pepper, dill weed, garlic salt and dressing; mix well. Place crackers in a bowl; pour oil over them and mix well. Pour spice mix over the crackers and mix. Package and serve as needed. Enjoy!

JustRite snowy gift packaging for Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Challenge!

A SNOWY challenge! We have been getting a lot of snow lately, here in west Michigan! But no worries where you live, whether it's snowy or dry land, we are throwing around snow in cyberspace for Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply challenge! Just create and add snow! This package already had snowflakes, and a snowflake tag, but I chose to take it a step further and embellish the tag!

This ready made package is a CD holder and was purchased at Michaels. I went in the store for something totally unrelated to this and decided to use my 40% off coupon, because all the other items in my cart were on sale and not eligible for the coupon. Sooo...it cost .60 plus tax. Talk about a bargain! I am packaging a gift card for my Aunt. It just makes it seem more like a gift! It's all about the packaging, right? I did dress up the tag a bit. After sizing down the green snowflake tag, I adhered it atop the stamped die cut circle. The stamped upper outer border is from JustRite's Holiday Demi Phrases Set. The lower outer border is created with JustRites's Times New Roman font.

Close up of the tag! I added Flower Soft polar white to the snowflake...adds dimension to the tag! The flap is held with the red elastic that came on the box. Copic colored holly leaf and berries, button embellishment with silver cording finish the tag. Just another angle of completed box. Quick, easy, and inexpensive! Just what I need about now! How are you doing on your holiday preparations? In my earnest efforts to be ahead of the game this year, it just is not going to happen! LOL! You may play Sharon's Stamp Simply challenges any time, as many times as you want. If you upload to Splitcoaststampers use keyword: ssnotime118 Check out the snow flurries that are whirling among these terrific designers! Sharon Johnson Michelle Woerner, (December guest designer) Tammy Hershberger Julie Koerber Janine Orchard Jennifer Buck AJ Otto Barbara Anders Jenny Gropp Deb Saaranen

TAKE GOOD CARE! THANKS SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY TODAY!

Merry Christmas from our house to YOURS!

I had three house cards left when I created our new address cards, seen HERE. I thought they would make nice Christmas cards using the sentiment from JustRite's Something Sweet Set. Perfect!

Really simple construction! Circle die cuts and a bow, we are good to go! Love this ribbon! All ribbon used is from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply ribbon store.

I utilized a few DP scraps for the green inked sentiments. And the edges have a bit of Old Paper ink on them!

A a pic of the trio! I have a few more cards to make and all the last minute packaging of items I am gifting! So much to do with such little time! I know we're all feeling the same! I hope you are enjoying these precious days leading up to Christmas day! From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!!! Take good care!

Sharon Johnson Stamp Simply Challenge/JustRite

Merry Christmas to YOU! This week Sharon has a much needed challenge, for me anyway! It's crunch time, to get those Christmas cards done so we are altering a purchased card and giving it that handmade feel! You can do this by adding a photo, embellishments, a stamped image, whatever you choose!

OR you may take an old card, cut portions of it you like and create a new card. Just get some element that was store bought at one time! That is exactly what I did! I have always recycled our Christmas cards! All the various styles, colors, and designs fascinate me...I love them all! I trim many to use as gift tags, build card houses (will share this 20 year old pattern soon), and create new cards to send. At this point the easier the better to get those cards completed! My card today is a recycled card front that is trimmed down, distressed along the edging using my Making Memories distress tool, and adhered to two pieces of cardstock. I did add this stamped sentiment to the card front. Remember this post HERE? Where I shared a tip when stamping your JustRite images. Always stamp a few extra images, place them in a pocket file to use for this very kind of creation! It's crunch time after all! And this worked perfect...this card was complete in a matter of minutes! The sentiment image is from JustRite's A Merry Little Christmas Set. Using just the center makes it even faster! I have mentioned this before too, but it bears repeating...this set is going to be utilized far into the winter season with the Happy New Year image, the snowflake, pairing the borders with other sets, I could go on and on! But I'll refrain, because I have to get back to those Christmas cards!

We hope you will join us this week! If you upload to Splitcoaststampers use this keyword: ssnotime117. Please let us know if you upload to your blog as well! You may play anytime, as many times you want! Check out the super talented Stamp Simply team designers blogs to see what they have been up to! Sharon Johnson Michelle Woerner (December Guest Designer) Tammy Hershberger Jenny Gropp Barbara Anders Janine Orchard Deb Saaranen AJ Otto (will post mid-day Fri) Jennifer Buck (taking the day off) Julie Koerber (taking the day off) Take good care, please know how much I appreciate you stopping by! Have a great weekend, my friends!

JustRite Penguin Gift Set

I LOVE it when a gift set comes together! I found the stuffed penguin ornament this summer and fell in love with it. Then, I spied this hot chocolate mix at a coffee shop/store I frequent. (more on that in future posts) And would you believe it, I walked into Dollar General a few weeks back, and there was this penguin bucket! So the visions of a penguin gift set began!

Did you notice the penguin on the bucket is holding a peppermint candy? I just adore the bucket color with that splash of red! So festive! For the sentiment safety pinned to the penguin, I used JustRite's A Merry Little Christmas Set. The peppermints are Copic colored and covered with a touch of crystal effects. I was going for that look of the shiny paper the candies are wrapped in.

Here are the Copics used on the tags. Miscellaneous snowflakes embellish the hot chocolate packet. The penguin and packet are nested in a black ceramic mug! I inadvertently left out BG13 and YR09.

Close of this adorable penguin found in JustRite's Christmas Joy set. He too, is Copic colored. Tag is attached to the gingham bow made with Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply ribbon. Bakers string from Martha Stewart.

There are so many versatile centers and borders in these sets! Not all for Christmas, many can be used during the winter season as well. I am so tickled A Merry Little Christmas Set has A Happy New Year center...I have an idea using this one!

Talk about all the elements coming together, from the penguin theme items, to the JustRite stamping. If you wanted to personalize a gift set, your JustRite fonts would be perfect! (I am gifting this set to be used as a door prize, so I don't know who will get it or I would have done just that!) Hope you all are keeping warm! I am so thankful for the warmth of our home, we are blessed. Take good care and thanks so much for stopping by today, I appreciate it!

Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Tag Challenge Meets JustRite

A car template tag sporting a Happy Holidays JustRite auto license plate!

Sharon's Stamp Simply Challenge this week is to make a pretty tag(s) for a gift, bag handle, or a box, just a handmade bit of loveliness to show the recipient how special they are! Well, this isn't the prettiest of tags, but I would take a guess that this recipient will be thrilled to find a car tag on the Christmas tree with her name on it!!! The car trunk holds a Yankee Candle car freshener and a gas card! This gift tag is especially suited for older teens, college age drivers, or just any driver on your list! To personalize the car tag, I wanted to create a name license plate! And with JustRite fonts, it's a snap to do! Above you see my horizontal wooden block set with Small Letters and Brayton 50pt font. (My block and fonts are well loved and used!!!) Closeup of license plate. It is cut one side at a time, using my Spellbinders Tags5 die. I turned the tag end around to cut the opposite side to create the plate. The car bumper is also cut from the same Spellbinders Tags5 die and attached with thin foam tape. I placed brads in each end tag hole to simulate lights! The trunk handle is created with a slot punch. Brayton Font is one of my favorites...I feel it compliments most stamping and images I want to personalize. Just a personal preference! I also attached one of the Tags5 on the top back of car. This allows the tag to hang nicely on the Christmas tree! It could also be attached to a gift bag, box, etc. After creating my car template, I cut two, one blue and one gray. The blue car cut out stays as is, and with the top gray car, I cut the window and trunk openings using an xacto knife. My Scor-It mini is used for the trunk scor line, enabling it to open easily. The two car cut outs are machine sewn together. Really easy! A great way to hold the car freshener and gift card in the trunk! No tape or glue! So...when I was shopping and spied these, of course I thought of a car, then a gas card paired with the freshener for gift giving. That is how the thought process began! In the mall, in the candle store! Which led to this sketch, then drawing a pattern on scratch paper. I drew one side of the rear facing car, then folded to get a match for the opposite side! The more I look at this car tag, I vision so many possibilities! This would be an adorable "Just Married" card, Drivers license congrats, or a police car! The ideas are endless! I tell ya, just not enough hours in the day! LOL We would love to see what you create! You may play the Stamp Simply challenge any time, as many times as you want! If you upload to Splitcoaststampers, please use keyword snnotime116. If you upload on your blog, please leave a comment and we will come visit! Check out the other STAMP SIMPLY team designers fabulous tag creations: Sharon Johnson Michelle Woerner, December Guest Designer Deb Saaranen Jennifer Buck Janine Orchard Barbara Anders Jenny Gropp AJ Otto Julie Koerber Tammy Hershberger

Heart warming photos!

Yesterday I watched this cutie. Just me and him! LOVE those times. So I thought we would have a little photo session! This rattle bear is one his Mom had when she was young!

He was in awe of the sparkle and textures! Wait till his Mommy sees I let him play with the ornaments and tree! Yikes!!!

His outfit has faint stitching on the front that reads, Over to Grandma's House I go!

I finally got smart and placed him in a box! He thought that was cool!

It's safe to say, we have a good time! Such a little honey! Thanks for indulging me and taking a peek!

See you tomorrow with that last minute gift idea for the older teens and car drivers on your list! Take good care!

JustRite Last Minute Gift Ideas!

Welcome to the JustRite Last Minute Gift Ideas BLOG HOP! Today, I have an ornament idea that lends itself to many store bought treasures out there. Just like yesterday, I purchased this ornament at Cracker Barrel during their after holiday sale (last year), but I have seen many word ornaments/decor that would allow a stamped image fill the letter O. Like HO, HO, HO...or how about Let It SNOW, Happy HOLIDAYS, LOVE, NOEL, you get the picture! Utilizing my image from JustRite's Christmas Treasures Set, along with my 3 1/4" round wooden stamper, I stamped onto Papertreyink's cardstock with VersaMark, then heat embossed with bronze embossing powder. I always try to stamp several JustRite images at a time. That way I have images ready for other creations. I store them in a pocket file and tuck the file in the JustRite cupboard! As long as I am inking up and have all the supplies out, it only takes a couple minutes to stamp a few more! A thin bead of TomBow Liquid glue (has two applicators at each end) around the back of the letter O secures the Spellbinder scallop die cut. It dries clear, and the edging is just wide enough to get a good bead of glue. The colors on the image is achieved with chalks and applied with q-tips! Yes, very easy! And if you add color where you do not desire, you can easily erase. I use a artist white eraser. I do lightly mist my colored image with Krylon Matte Finish spray to prevent chalks from smearing. After backing of the letter O was dry, I placed foam dimensionals onto the face of the brown cardstock. This raised the stamped image, placing it more inside the circle! This is so cool in real life! I wish you all could come on over and see!

Check out the many ideas that these talented designers have for you! Be sure to go to the JustRite blog for ongoing ideas and the latest JustRite creations out in blog land!

JustRite BLOG, Angela Barkhouse, Barb Schram (that's me!), Becca Feeken, Debbie Olsen, Heidi Blankenship, Kathy Jones, Kelli Fortin, Lauren Meader, Lisa Sommerville, Michele Kovack, Michelle Wooderson, Sharon Harnist, Sharon Johnson, Terre Fry

Take good care! On Friday, I will have yet another quick idea, perfect for the older teens, and car drivers on your gift giving list!