Home for Christmas

Merry Christmas!! I hope that you are all enjoying the holidays and remembering the reason for the season!!

Here is my third and final card for Christmas 2008. I just love that I have had the time each year to make my own cards, it thrills me to send out my creations to all my friends and family to enjoy.

Home for Christmas really has the warm cozy feel to it. Being a military family, we really do cherish whenever we are able to go home and spend time with our families.

When I got this set, I surfed SCS to see what others were doing with it and I came across one by Kharmagirl and used her's as an idea when making mine. You can view her's here. I then surfed through her gallery and found that I really like her style!!

Anyway, I used Shimmery White cardstock for the main image to give it that glistening snow look. And I added Crystal Effects to some of the image to make it stand out.

Set: Home for Christmas
Accessories: Holiday Treasures DP, Ruby Rd, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White & Shimmery White cardstocks, StazOn Black ink, Various SU Ink Pads, Aqua Painter, Crystal Effects, Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon.

A thank you to our military

My husband is a sailor in the US Navy, and although he's home with us this year, it's not the case for many families around the globe. So, whether sailor, airmen, marine or soldier...Merry Christmas and thank you for all you do.

The Sailor's Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, at once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.

Vintage Ruddy

Here is another of my Christmas cards for this year. This one actually has three different faces. I couldn't use just one of the line-up, I had to make use of all three poses.

I really wanted to go for the vintage look. I have been in love with the striped ribbon and just wanted to stick with the Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla for this card. I felt it was pretty traditional.

I used stickles on a couple focal points of these cards, like Ruddy's nose or hat pom-poms. And the CuttleBug folder was perfect yet again! I also sponged the edges to give it an even more aged look.

Set: Holiday Lineup
Accessories: Very Vanilla & Riding Hood Red cardstock, Timber Brown StazOn, Close to Cocoa & Riding Hood Red Inks, CuddleBug, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge, Stickles, Felt Flurries, Riding Hood Red 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon

A Cardinal Christmas

Time to get my Christmas cards posted :) I mailed them out earlier in the week and I hope that I don't spoil it for anyone...but here goes.

This is card #1...the others will be posted in coming days.

My parents always had a family of cardinals that would frequent their feeders, and now, for us, moving to VA has proved to be a high population of cardinals...it is our state bird and all, they are so vibrant and you can always tell when they are around by their quick chirp.

I found a card on SCS by MakeTime2Stamp that I just loved and I cased the idea and embellished on it. You can see her card here. The in-colors of Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red were a cool combo for this card.

I just love using the CuddleBug for the background, it really gives it some dimension! Like real snow!!! And I really love this stamp set. The cardinal is so majestic, he was fun to color! Red is my favorite color too!

I water colored a bit of blue around the bird to make him pop off the page a bit.

Set: A Cardinal Christmas
Accessories: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss & Riding Hood Red cardstocks, Kiwi Kiss ink, Cutter Kit, Coluzzle, Black StazOn, Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Large Oval Punch, White ET, CB Folder

Baby Announcement

This is the announcement I sent out letting everyone know of my blue bundles arrival. I actually found one like this on-line somewhere, but I can't remember where. They used a B&W photo, where we chose to use the color photo. Yes, that's my muchkins piggie-toes under the vellum paper. Isn't it just too sweet???

Accessories: Bashful Blue cardstock, Bashful Blue Taffets & SS brads

Our new arrival!!

Well after much delay and anticipation I am pleased to announce that our new bundle Garrett William, has arrived into the world!

They had it arranged for me to arrive at the hospital on Wednesday, November 26th to be induced on the 27th, but he decided to come on his own. He arrived on November 26th under his own timing and in all his glory. He's beautiful!

He weighed in at 9 pounds 12 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long. No wonder I was having a hard time breathing, lol. He was up under my ribcage for about the past month. And he was 6 days over due!

We are so thrilled to have him home and everyone healthy! Thank you for all your love and support!