Christmas in Paradise!

Close your eyes and envision sunshine, white sand, a warm breeze, crystal blue water and a tropical drink in your hand...

♫ Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you♫

Yep, I miss the beach. I haven't had a beach vacation in a few years and I miss it terribly! That yearning was rekindled when I received my latest Club Scrap kit...Paradise.



I haven't made Christmas cards in a few years, and I saw this on Pinterest when I was looking for ideas...



A little of this kit, some of that...AND some little Santa hats and my card was born!

[caption id="attachment_4230" align="alignnone" width="800"] Club Scrap Paradise Deluxe kit components, Club Scrap By the Seashore sand dollar image, Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Set-Crazy Things [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4231" align="alignnone" width="800"] Sand dollar images stamped with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and dusted with Perfect Pearls in pearl. A little sparkle added to the Santa hats with Diamond Stickles.[/caption]

Jeez, now I have the Beach Boys songs rolling around in my head! Sigh...I miss the beach.

♫ Don't worry, be happy! ♫ ♪



Challenges entered:

Club Scrap 11-2016 Card Sketch Challenge

Shopping Our Stash 279  Warm and Fuzzy Challenge

Time Out Challenges with Optional Twist of Glitter/Shimmer

Pile it On Challenge #122 Two patterns

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I Shook My Family Tree and a Bunch of Nuts Fell Out!

I had a great "crafternoon"on Friday with these crazies!



We made Christmas slime...



Shrinky dink ornaments...



[caption id="attachment_4163" align="alignnone" width="533"] Millie wanted a "good picture" of hers before we shrunk it![/caption]

(Even Steph got in on the action!)



And snowmen tealight ornaments and Christmas tags! Whew!



Ellie, Millie and Haylan  made a tutorial for the snowmen tealights! One take, these girls are pros!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS3zlx9TKm0]

They even did a little facepainting...

[gallery ids="4178,4176,4177,4174,4175" type="square" columns="2"]

Of course I had to make something too!

[caption id="attachment_4188" align="alignnone" width="533"] JFFRS Acorn stamp embossed with copper foil embossing powder and painted with Perfect Pearls mixed with water. Sentiment printed in Photoshop Elements. Club Scrap card stocks.[/caption]



They crafted for almost 7 hours, with breaks for BJ's Pizza, Shirley Temples, reindeer chow and taking turns in Uncle Chris' massage chair! It was a fun ending to a Happy Thanksgiving. Lots is good food and family. I love my people!

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.a.chapman/posts/1241929285869814

Do more of what makes you happy!



Challenges entered:

Addicted to Stamps #221 Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge # 339 Always Anything Goes

Just Add Ink #338 Inspiration

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It's Christmas Thyme!

Welcome to the last stop on the Club Scrap Christmas Thyme blog hop! If you've arrived here from Hetty's blog,  you're in the right spot. If you'd like to start at the beginning head over to Club Scrap and see what Karen has created for you, then grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the hop!

I tried not to be THAT person, the one with POPD (perfect ornament placement disorder), but I became her. (Shaking my head...)



On a positive note, I still have the ornaments my kids made in daycare-tiny handprint Santas, paper plate angels, thumbprint reindeer, wreath Christmas photos. My tree is a memory tree, no decorator tree for me. I can tell you everything about each ornament that I carefully pack and unpack each year. I save everything! I get that from my mom, she still has ornaments we made in the 70's!  My mom started collecting her Dept. 56 Christmas Village when we were kids. By the time I was in high school, the village had spread to a nice sized city with a suburb! It is so much fun to look at when she has it all out. Mom and Dad started giving Chris and I pieces of the Dickens Village the first Christmas we were married.  Thanksgiving Day was my 26th wedding anniversary. Our little village has grown too over the years! It is usually the first thing I put together when I decorate for Christmas. Of course my kids always wanted to help (a few broken pieces here and there), but it wasn't anything a little glue couldn't fix!

The Club Scrap Christmas Thyme kit reminds me of my Dickens Village, I'm drawn to that vintage look! Remember these?!



My grandparents always had these little paper advent calendars on the coffee table during Christmas. We loved looking at these and opening all the little hidden compartments! When I saw the Christmas Thyme digital kit house image, I knew what I wanted to make...



Using Photoshop Elements(PSE) I enlarged the house and the Christmas tree images to fit on 12x12 paper and sent it off to be printed at Persnickety Prints.





Then I chose some Christmas images to resize and strategically place inside each window pane. I printed these on card stock.



Using a craft knife I cut the window panes to open to reveal the images I would adhere behind them.





And a little surprise for day 25...Christmas Day!

[caption id="attachment_4119" align="alignnone" width="800"] Christmas gnome from the Gnome for the Holidays Digital kit. Also available in the I'll Be Gnome for Christmas UM/Stencil set. [/caption]

From our "gnome" to yours, it's Christmas Thyme!



 

 

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Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for a lot of things in my life, even the bad things. The bad things made me a better person and appreciate the good things even more. I must have done something right, because the universe rewarded me. These people make me believe there is good in the world and to "Be the Good"!



I have to brag on my husband a little bit. Chris planted a fall garden this year, with the help of our boys. I thought he was crazy. He is doing a "no till" garden with cardboard and homemade compost. It looked like a mess at first, now I just need to shut my mouth and let him do his thing. He planted red clover and rye grass as a cover crop to provide nutrients, aerate the soil and hold moisture. All the new sprouts are Italian and elephant ear garlic, carrots, Swiss chard, broccoli, turnips, cabbage, mustard and collard greens and muscadine vines for jelly.  It looks like the universe might reward us with a bountiful harvest!



This sweet guy was very patient while he waited to be petted during the photo shoot! When he's had enough and wants attention, he'll sit on your foot and lean on you. He's getting bossier with age!



In honor of Thanksgiving, I made this card to remind me to pay it forward, give thanks for all of my blessings and to be the good.

[caption id="attachment_3978" align="alignnone" width="3648"] JFFRS stamptangle pumpkin medium and JFFRS stamptangle eclectic garden stamps. Club Scrap cardstock. Copper foil embossing powder. Sentiment stamped with a mini alphabet stamp.[/caption]



I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, eat lots of good food and spend quality time with family! Be the good!



This card was a winner at Cards in Envy!



Challenges entered:

colourQ Challenge #368



The Card Concept #62 Thanksgiving



Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 385



Cards in Envy Thank You Challenge 

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I'm Thankful for "TURKEE"!

Roast turkey smells so good when it's cooking! My dad always put the turkey on early Thanksgiving morning. We'd wake up to that rich aroma that was the signal the holiday season had begun! I still do it at my own house, even if we're eating Thanksgiving dinner somewhere else. I gotta have those turkey leftovers!  I love the line from "A Christmas Story" after the Bumpus hounds steal the turkey..."The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey a la King! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, ALL GONE!" Yep, that's exactly how I would feel!

On Thursday you can bet I'm going to...

[caption id="attachment_3913" align="alignnone" width="533"] JFFRS Stamptangle Rooster embossed with gold embossing powder and colored with Stamper's Big Brush markers. Sentiment created with an mini alphabet font.[/caption]

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. There's still time to join in the JFFRS monthly challenge "Give Thanks" and show us what you're thankful for!

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"Boo" Scootin' in Texas!

A few weeks ago I visited my Texas family to help out with Ellie's homecoming preparations and watch Kyle's flag football game. My sister had surgery on her foot, so I chauffeured while she did the "boo" scoot on her knee scooter.  Look how cute her "BOO!" leg is!



We had a front row seat to Kyle's game, thank goodness. It was hot and Steph was a little dangerous on that scooter! We got there just in time to see his touchdown! As Pap says, " The Kid can play!"

 

[caption id="attachment_3864" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Club Scrap November 2016 ALSB Layout Formula [/caption]

I held a post game interview with my favorite player. No question stumped him. He popped off answers like he had rehearsed it. That boy has confidence, ability AND celebrity presence!

 

[caption id="attachment_3865" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Enter a caption[/caption]

Ellie was next on the list. My camera loved her! I started out just taking a few shots of her getting ready and it turned into a photoshoot. I didn't phase her at all, I felt invisible even when I did close ups. She exudes confidence and she applies makeup like an artist. I want to be just like her when I grow up!


Steph, Kevin and I followed her for a group photo shoot in their neighborhood, then she was whisked away in a party bus to the country club for dinner, the dance, after party, and then breakfast!


Man, a lot has changed since I was in high school. Getting asked to homecoming was usually a quick conversation in the hall at school with all of your friends giggling behind you. How fun is this?!

[caption id="attachment_3868" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Club Scrap  A Study in Red digital kit.[/caption]

Homecoming Mums are a BIG tradition in Texas. I'm fascinated! The tradition is for the guy to give his date a mum. She will give him a smaller version called a garter. If you're crafty you can make your own, but there are actually people who are professional mum makers who make these elaborate creations of self expression... and it is BIG BUSINESS! Some of them even light up!



I can't leave out the most important men in her life...that pic of Kyle cracks me up!


We finished up the weekend with homemade chili for Frito pies (made by me!) and Ellie whipped up a caramel apple bundt cake for dessert. That girl has skills! DEELISH!


I can't wait to see my crew for Thanksgiving, I miss my peeps!

Do more of what makes you happy!



Challenges entered:

Club Scrap Monthly Layout Challenge 11-2016

Club Scrap ALSB Challenge 11-2016

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