I'm not ready....make it go away!

Ah...Christmas Eve....I came home last night after work, exhausted with a "to do" list a mile long.  I went to bed instead of getting anything done which brings me to a VERY busy Christmas Eve.

I was talking myself into a bad attitude this morning - - lamenting that I have done nothing for Christmas this year - my decorations only got half done and shopping got pushed to the back burner.

But when I started writing this post, I realized that I actually have had a great December full of Christmas-y moments!

I participated in Val's Annual Christmas Ornament Swap (check out her swap blog here:  Yarnigras Swapper Spot ) and the theme was "A Woodland / Traditional Christmas".  I was stumped at first, then found my inspiration on Pinterest for these champagne cork toadstools (and yes, I had to drink quite a bit of champagne!)

The swap is 5 for 5 - - you make 5 ornaments and you get 5 ornaments in return (I packaged mine as sets of two)

The ornaments I received were incrediby beautiful, using so many different craft techniques!

I got together with my mom for some girl time and handmade gifts.......

Made some candy to give to friends and neighbors......

And even took in a musical (cannot recommend this enough!)

Writing this has put me in the holiday spirit - - I am looking forward to spending time with my family on Christmas Eve for the first time in 10 years (we are usually out of town).  So there IS reason to be in holly, jolly mood!

Merry, Merry Christmas!!

Getting into a scrappy groove......

The last weekend in September was our 4th annual weekend scrappy getaway to "The Manor" and I think this was the best one yet (ok, maybe because I did a RECORD number of projects for me! lol!)

We are a group of scrappers / crafters and sewing enthusists from all across the US that decided to meet "IRL" (in real life)  for a weekend of crafting, wine, food and friendship!

Our group for 2014:

The original idea was to choose a different craft retreat in a different location each year since we were all coming from so many different locations in the country.  HOWEVER...the first year we stayed at The Manor was like a crafty EPIPHANY!  There was no reason to EVER go anywhere else for our creative getaway!

And this is MY result of our crafty weekend:

I love my time with my creative friends - - they inspire me!

Zombie Swap & Eyebrows on a Dog

I finally joined another swap through Val at Yarnigras Swapper Spot!  It has been awhile, but I love her swaps -- they are always inspired, and always include amazing crafters!

This swap was a Halloween animated zombie swap - - make a zombie based on one of your partner's  favorite animated characters.  I received an amazing zombie package from Kerry - - and she couldn't have created anything more perfect for this animal lover than Sparky from Frankenweenie re-imagined as a zombie dog!

This character is sculpted perfectly!!  Lots of great, gory details (look at the neck bolts!)  She also included a candy jar with Sculpy zombie head, a beautiful card, and fun items from the Halloween collection at Bath & Body Works (Vampire Blood Hand Sanitizer anyone?)

And then she also made this incredibly cool tote bag from a zombie T-Shirt!  This will definitely be my go-to bag for the farmers market!  She has a link to the tutorial to make these cool totes on her blog, so be sure to check it out - Tales of a Needle and Thread

I am so in love with Zombie Sparky that I think he will be displayed year-round and not just at Halloween!

Thank you so much, Kerry - you are an amazing artist!

My partner has not yet received my zombie creation, so I will have to wait until the end of the week to share the pictures!

On a side note, I recently decided that Henry needed eyebrows.  So I drew them on with some chalk.
Of course, I HAD to scrap this photo!

This layout is for Kelly's September Challenge at Kitchen Keepsake to use multiples of 3 on your layout:

Thanks for stopping by!

Cal Picks a Winner....

Hello All -

Today is new challenge day over at The Kitchen - - please stop by for a visit for fabulous inspiration or maybe just to chat with us around the kitchen table:

Kitchen Keepsake Challenges


And now - my blog hop winner!

Instead of Random.Org or those other  number generators, I decided to let my black Lab, Cal pick my Blog Hop winner!

Here's how it went down last night....

Congratulations, Cindy!  Send me an email with your mailing info and this will be on it's way!

Welcome Kitchen Keepsake Blog Hoppers!!

Hello everyone and welcome to the first Kitchen Keepsake Blog Hop.

You should have reached my blog by way of the amazingly talented Kelly!

We are super excited to share some wonderful inspiration with you. Be sure to grab your favorite drink and enjoy the hop.

We are a group of crafters that enjoy cooking and eating as well as scrapping!

I do the monthly "Culinary Muse" challenge at Kitchen Keepsake - - for July, my challenge is based on ice cream!  My challenges are never what they seem at first glance - - I like to throw in a twist to really get you thinking outside your comfort zone!

To see my full July Challenge, click here:  July 2014 Culinary Muse Challenge

Here is my layout for July:

The journaling reads:  "Danny always shares his ice cream with Henry and uses the same spoon - eww!"

Here is the complete list of talented ladies.

Suzanne

Carmen

Janet

Kelly

Shelly

Phillis

Colleen

KitchenKeepsake (forum)

Some blogs will have a random give away - a random commenter on my blog will receive this Summer Inspired Prize:

so please leave a comment on each blog.

Your next stop is Phillis - - our awesome Featured Chef this month!

Thank you all for joining us today and we hope you enjoyed today’s hop. You will have until July 31, 2014 at 12:00 midnight Eastern time to join us.

The winners will be posted on the blogs offering a give away so please check back on August 1. 

I will leave you with a slide show of some of my recent projects (scrappy and otherwise!)