Kindergarten

My sweet little Izzy is the youngest of my grandkids and she went to kindergarten this year (sniff). I just loved her school picture and I wanted to use some of her favorite color (purple) to scrap it. I used this awesome sketch from Creative Scrappers:

Thanks for stopping by my blog and happy new year!

~~Sandi~~



Crazy Dogs Christmas Card

Late in the evening of Christmas Eve while watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my dad, I suddenly realized that although I had made over 50 Christmas cards (beginning in July) I did not make one for my hubby. I had already put my Christmas supplies away and it was approaching midnight so I just resigned myself that Dave was not going to get a Christmas card this year.  But I woke up on Christmas morning at 5:30am and while everyone else was sleeping I made this card for him using scraps from my scrap basket and inking up a stamp from my Crazy Dogs stamp set for the first time.

I used this awesome sketch from Sketch-n-Scrap:

He loved it....being tired last night was worth it.

Thanks for checking this card and my blog out. I hope your Christmas was awesome.

~~Sandi~~

Oh Yeah We Love Winter Fun

My son and youngest grandson love being outside in the winter weather...snowboarding, ice skating, sledding or just building a snowman or a good ol' fashioned snowball fight....they love it. I loved this picture Adam recently posted complete with red noses and rosy cheeks.

I used this awesome sketch from Clique Kits and am entering it in their December Challenge.

The prize is an Bella Blvd gift package .  Bella Blvd is my absolute favorite company and has been for years.  Because of all my recent medical bills, I have not bought any new scrappy goodies in what seems like forever.  I would be over the moon to win this prize.

Well, my long weekend is over and it is back to work tomorrow but this is another short week so it is not so bad.  Thanks for stopping in.

~~Sandi~~

Joy

A couple of days ago I posted a layout with out little Izzy with Santa and her dog Titan. Here is a picture with the whole family...including both pups. I love this picture and really wanted to do a nice page with it. I found this sketch from Sketch-n-Scrap and it was PERFECT:



I am entering it in the Sketch-n-Scrap sketch #119 challenge.

and

Clique Kits December Anything Goes Challenge

Thanks for stopping by tonight....Merry Christmas!

~~Sandi~~

Winter Program 2016

My granddaughter recently participated in her kindergarten Christmas/Winter Program.  I missed it of course since I live 1000 miles away but my daughter in law told me that Izzy was adorable and of course I already knew that.  I got a couple of pictures from the evening and had to document the event.

I broke out my Elle's Studio papers and embellishment and found a couple of the very first 3x4 journaling cards that I ever got. They are both on the bottom row with the kraft paper.  I have loved Elle's Studio for a very long time. I used a wide selection of papers and embellishments. Everything on this page (except the rhinestones on the Christmas tree) are from Elle's Studio.  I even used their awesome sketch from December 15th:

I am entering it in the sketch challenge which you can see al the details HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today and Merry Christmas.

~~Sandi~~

Izzy and Titan Visit With Santa

I sure do miss my family this time of year as they are 1000 miles away from Florida in the Midwest. Scrapping their December activities helps somewhat with that....it makes me feel like I am somehow experiencing it with them just a little bit.  A couple of weeks ago my oldest son Matt took his whole family and their pups to have their picture taken with Santa.  This is a candid shot of just the youngest, our little Izzy and their newest rescue...Titan.

I used this awesome sketch from Laura Whitaker:

I am entering this page in two challenges:

Stuck? Sketches December 15th Sketch

and

Clique Kits December Anything Goes Challenge

Thanks for stopping by tonight....I will have a companion page to this page to share tomorrow with a picture of the whole family, the two dogs and Santa.

Merry Christmas!

~~Sandi~~

Joyful

This Christmas stamp from CAS-ual Fridays is one of my new favorites this year. I stamped out this image of the bunch of holly and colored it a bit with Copic markers then I added Glossy Accents to the holly berries and the red bow to give it that little something special. I mailed it off to Aunt Lucy today. Making my own Christmas cards gives me a great deal of pleasure.

I am entering this card in the CFC 163 Christmas and Hanukkah Challenge

Thank you for stopping in and checking out my creation.  I am off to bed....we have been very busy at work and tomorrow will probably be no exception.

~~Sandi~~

Fleas Navidad

Do you have a favorite stamp? When it comes to Christmas stamps, I have several favorites. The stamp on this card is at the top of my list....I HAVE to use it on at least one card every year and I usually send the card to one of the dog lovers on my Christmas card list.

The stamp and sentiment is from Paper Smooches and I am entering this card into their

Winter-Holidays-New Years Challenge

This is the last of my Christmas cards that I had to make although I still have a few to share.  Thanks for checking out my blog.

~~Sandi~~

Calling All Sistahs December Blog Hop

Welcome to the December Calling All Sistahs Blog Hop. You should have come here from Kelly Griglione's blog.  Wasn't her card fabulous? You know, this is SUCH a busy time of the year for everyone.  My husband and I are empty nesters with nearly all out family out of town and there still are not enough hours in the day for working, wrapping, addressing Christmas cards and packages, trips to the post office, baking, decorating...well you get the drift.  But in the midst of all this busyness it is easy to neglect ourselves. You know, we as women all do it....putting the needs of others before we take care of ourselves. Hence the theme of this month's blog hop....to remind you to Make Time. It only takes a few minutes to do a self exam in the shower or while getting dressed in the morning.  What about your mammogram? Are you up to date or has the doctor been nagging you to get it done?  Please make the appointment today. It could save your life.....it did mine. If you want to read my story click HERE

I made a quick and easy card and it took no longer that it would take to make an appointment.  Because, you see, it really does not take a lot to care for yourself and YOU ARE WORTH IT!

And there are prizes...Michele, the owner of CAS-ual Friday stamps has generously offered

$15 gift certificates will be given away to (3) people that comment along the hop

Comments close at 12:00am on the 19th

How about some more awesome inspiration? The next stop on the hop is the extremely talented Kimberly Rendino and wait until you see her breathtaking card!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

~~Sandi~~



Have a Very Merry Christmas

Today is the last day of the Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop. I have so loved being a part of this awesome hop.  this is my 5th card that I have entered.  There is sooo much inspiration and fun. I sure hope you joined us for some of the fun. There are loads of sponsors offering prizes and Your Next Stamp is one of them. I really was exposed to their stamps through a recent Coffee Lovers Bloghop and have already started building my collection of their adorable stamps and sentiments. I used 

Your Next Stamp's Ellie Loves Lattes for my card:

I also used their December sketch:



I am entering this card in the sketch and color challenge at Your Next Stamp

and

I am also entering this card (of course) in the Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop.

Have a wonderful weekend!

~~Sandi~~

12 Days of Christmas Tags With a Feminine Twist

Several days ago I was challenged by the foil tag I saw on day #3 of Ellen Hutson's 12 Days of Christmas Tags with a Feminine Twist. I knew I had some foil tags somewhere. I finally found them last night, layered one on top of another and made this tag for my granddaughter's gift card we are giving her. I wish they photographed better but I assure you that double tag behind Santa is foil.

Here is the tag by Joni Nina Andaya that inspired me:

I am also entering this card into the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp Gift It Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by tonight....see you tomorrow night.

~~Sandi~~

Joy To The World

I recently won an awesome holiday stamp set from my favorite stamp company....CAS-ual Fridays and just had to ink it up nearly right away. I embossed my Joy To The World sentiment in silver embossing powder which unfortunately makes it a bit hard to see on the purple background paper. I also heat embossed snowflakes with a sparkly, glittery embossing powder called snowflake. Why is sparkle so hard to photograph??

I am entering this card in the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC #163 Glitter and Snowflakes

I used this awesome sketch from Sketch-n-Scrap:

And I am also entering this card in the monthly challenge over at Connie Can Crop. This month it is Baby, It's Cold Outside and the challenge is to use snowflakes or a snowman.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my card. I hope you have a wonderful week.

~~Sandi~~

Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop Day #4

Welcome to Day #4 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop. I did something today that is very rare for me....I came home after a typical not-so-fun Monday and I got creative. I hardly ever get creative on a Monday but I am a woman on a mission....I want to have a card to share each day this week for the bloghop and I need just a few more Christmas cards to send out as well. I made my card tall and slim just for something different tonight.

I used some free digitals images from Julee Tilman of Verve Stamps (the coffee/tea cups are from last year) and the sentiment is a current freebie that you can get by clicking HERE

I have already been thinking about what card I am going to make tomorrow and I think I will have a fun one to share so put a note in your planner to stop back to see tomorrow's card. Thanks for coming by tonight.

~~Sandi~~

Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop Day #3

 Here I am back to share my card for day #4 of the
Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop.  Check out the blog HERE for tons of inspiration and chances to win prizes from a record number of top notch companies. AND you have all week to enter. The more you enter the better your chances at winning one of the awesome prizes.

I decided today to make a birthday card for a friend who's birthday is in January. She is a
Starbucks Latte lover just like me so the sentiment from My Favorite Things is perfect. Speaking of My Favorite Things, I used their awesome Sketch #310:

Thanks for stopping by tonight....I am hoping to continue making/entering a card every day this week for the blog hop so I hope to see you back here soon.

~~Sandi~~



Happy Holidays

I am down to my last few Christmas cards to make and I am savoring it because I really love making Christmas cards. I think they are my favorite thing to craft.  This is just a simple card that I made with the negative space after I die cut a snowflake. I thought it looked pretty with the rhinestones and a small pop of red. I am entering this card in the Baby It's Cold Outside challenge at Connie Can Crop
and

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Ice Inspiration Challenge.

I was inspired most by the picture in the lower right hand corner.

Thank you for stopping by.  Come back tomorrow as I share a card for Day #3 of the Coffee Lovers Winter Bloghop.

~~Sandi~~



Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop Day #2

Here I am with my card for day #2 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop. I am just finishing my last few Christmas cards that I am making this year.  I used an awesome digital sentiment on my card which was a freebie from Julee Tilman the owner of Verve stamps last year.  She is offering another freebie this year through 12/31.  Click HERE to download it for free. Julee is a real sweetheart.

I used this sketch (also from Julee) from Mojo Monday (and am entering it in their sketch challenge):

That to go cup of joe is an awesome (believe it or not) sticky note that I got in a pad in one of my recent Cocoa Daisy kits. I just dressed it up for Christmas. :)

Thank you for stopping by my blog....please make sure to check out the blog hop where you will find loads of beautiful holiday projects, inspiration, freebies and prizes.

~~Sandi~~



Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Day #1

Welcome to Day #1 of the Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop. I hope to post a coffee/winter/holiday themed card every day of this 8 day hop. I own loads of coffee themed stamp sets and I am determined to use them. Before I go any farther I want to thank Amy Tsuruta for all the hard work that goes into this blog hop. Amy has to be one of the sweetest, most generous people in the papercrafting community. She even sent me a card to brighten my day after my recent surgery. She also has a team of ladies who work hard with her to make this hop bigger and better each time.  There is even a group that comments on Every. Single. Submission.  They are all amazing.  I am hoping to see a new record number of entries this time....let's shoot for 1000!!!

Here is my card for day #1:

I will be sending this card along with a little holiday gift to a fellow coffee lover that I am in a card exchange with.....how fun is that?

So there, you have plenty of time.  The deadline for comments and submissions is next Friday night.  I would love to see you create a card and enter it. Just make sure it is coffee/cocoa/tea themed and also a winter/holiday card. There are loads of prizes. Some can be won by entering your creations and there are even comment to win giveaways. Many of the participants also have generous blog candy giveaways. So take some time for yourself this busy time of year, pour yourself a cuppa joe and get inspired from the most talented and creative coffee lovers you will come across.


I am also linking this card up to the December Sugar Pea Mix It Up Challenge Anything Goes
and
Simon Says Stamp December Work It Wednesday Use a Die Challenge (that To Go cup is one of my favorite dies that I own.)

Thanks for stopping by....see you again tomorrow for day #2.

~~Sandi~~



Annual Tradition

Wow! I cannot believe that it has been 10 days since I last blogged.  This is such a busy time of year with shopping, decorating, Christmas cards, etc.  Add to all of that, we have been extremely busy at work with all the storm damage from Hurricane Matthew (I work for a roofing supply company) so many nights my hubby and I (we work together) come home so exhausted we don't even have the energy to eat dinner.  Luckily we have gotten some extra help at work this week so tonight I actually wandered into my scraproom and worked on this page. It came together quite quickly once I got started. The photo is from last weekend when my son and grandsons went to a Christmas tree farm in Indiana and cut down their own tree. They do this every year and I seriously have scrapped every year that they took a picture....I have at least 10 pages documenting this annual tradition. Our 15 year old Jacob actually agreed to get in the picture this year...love it!

I am entering this page in Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge -- Christmas
and
Scrap Our Stash Book Inspired Challenge

I was inspired by the masculine Christmas theme, I used big bold striped paper and some of by wood-look enamel dots that I have been hoarding at least 2-3 years.

Well all of a sudden I have been very sleepy so I better hit the sheets to prepare for another 10 hour day selling roofing.  Join me this weekend as I hope to share the last few of my Christmas cards for this year.

~~Sandi~~