Ringing in the New Year 2011 Here I come!!!

Today I was pretty much the only one that was awake most of the day.  Hubby slept until almost 5pm.  He has been working nights and has trouble getting to sleep right away when he gets home.  Needs winding down time i guess.  Even the dogs spent the day sleeping.  I myself woke up early and worked on swaps and other projects.  
The projects I've been working on since last night are my Monthly Swap, Mega Image swap and my ABAC Swap.  I’m not finished with my ABAC swap, but i got the pieces cut and ready to assemble.  This is the card i made for the monthly swap.  Sorry for the bad lighting, if i used my flash it made the whole card and image all bright and couldn't see a thing.  i made this card off a sketch from an old Card Maker Magazine.  The image is an Amy Brown Fairy (my favorite fairy artist).  The paper is a marble paper from Murdock papers.  I got a lot of colors and i just love them. 

 New Year's Resolutions. 
1. Spend less time in my PJ's and more time in actual clothes.  As some of you know I spend alot if not all day in my Pj's on my days' off.  No work clothes don't count either.  I spend to much time in those as well.
2. Wake up earlier on my days off to maximize my time to clean, craft, and spend time with hubby and critters.
3. Keep craft cave and bedroom cleaned and organized  more often,  starting to feel closed in with all the piles of junk laying around.
4.  No more keeping laundry in baskets, put them away after being folded.
5.  Get rid of things right away if I'm not going to need them no more.

I doubt I'll stick to alot of these, but they do sound like good ideas, however probably ones easier said then done.  as my Jammie's are comfy and warm.  :)

Very last Christmas present and wonderfully made by my father.

So this is my last christmas present that i have been waiting on.

My father made it for me to place my bearded dragon tank on it.  They

are housed in a large square mesh cage, and this table is slightly bigger

than their cage.  I can aslo be a coffee table if we ever decide to move the

beardies to another location.  Right now they are on top of the ferret cage

next to our heater in the corner of the room.  (dont mind the mess).  LOL!  haven't had much time to clean up yet i went from the christmas hustle and bustle to being sick in a matter of seconds.  Or so it seems.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!

 

I would like to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.  It's a little late in the evening but better late then never i always say. 

I enjoyed a great Christmas Eve with the family.  My parents took us over to my sisters and we all got together over there to open our gifts.  It was a fun time.  I was very surprised however at a few of my gifts.  the one from my sister almost had me crying, same as the one from Rich (hubby).

From my sister we received some saucepans and skillets and I got snowflake necklace ( i love snowflakes) the display box had a sweet saying that had me almost in tears because it fit me so perfectly.  so here it is....

Especially for you

floating down from heaven
shimmering crystal stars
snowflakes are unique creations
nature's masterpiece they are.

Just like a crystal snowflake
you are one of a kind its true
so enjoy this sparkling tribute
just for being you.

 

 

Then from Rich he surprised me big time.  He wanted to get me something i did not know of since he gave me the laptop and external hard drive early.  So he wanted me to make a list.  So I did and I listed from Book World, The Best of Paper crafts Magazine.  This is the one it should have been.

I opened it up and i was shocked.  I ended up receiving a paper crafts best of book but it was even better then the one I asked for.  It’s The best of Card Creations.  Over 500 inspiring cards.  as I call it my card bible.  LOL!  His remark when he new i was shocked, was it’s about time; it only took 2 years to get her something she liked without fussing over.  LOL! 

He’s right, although i did with the computer and hard drive a little, but i still liked it and that's what counts. 

From my parents i got a pair of new boots and a pair of footie PJ's to open up.  Plus he is working on a table for my bearded dragon tank. :)  its just isn’t finished quite yet.  The boots are great, they are much lighter than my other ones.  So these i will use for walking to and from work.  My other pair only have a few minor holes in the black part and because they are zip up I'm going to continue using those for taking the pups outside.  The footie PJ's well those are awesome.  it took my mom a long time to find where you can find footie PJ's but about 4 years ago she had found her first pair it used to be just target and a few select other stores you could get them at.  Now this year i found them at Kmart.  She picked me up a pair too, because she wanted one and they were buy1 get1.  they keep you nice and warm on a cold wintery day.  

These here are my gifts from Santa.  I always buy myself something and wrap it from Santa.  ;)  i know I'm silly. Most years i get it early so i forget what it is.  However this year it wasn't until a few days prior that i got them.  i got 3 of these photo mobile’s but there is a specific purpose in mind.  I am going to use them to hang cards i create and receive from swaps on them.  Then I'll have constant creativity above me while I'm working.  so when I'm stumped i can stare at the cards and hopefully get a spark of creativity.  Then a hot cocoa canister set for the insulated thermos that i can take to work with me on those cold days.  and some chocolates.  Overall it was a great Christmas. 

 

this morning my parents took me with to have Brunch with my Uncle Eddie (moms twin brother) and his kids and grandkids.  However Rich was supposed to go with but he wasn't feeling good today i was feeling a lil under the weather but nothing too bad other than a slight cough.    hopefully it wont last to long since all last week i was suffering from a stuffy runny nose. 

Creations as promised.

well i managed to find a few moments to post my creations.  all the christmas items i made are similar to these so i'm not going to post all of them.  but these ones.  i gave one set to my Boss and a co-worker as a way of thanking them for the rides to and from work.  the other one is going to my sister.
The pockets are going to the neices and nephews, and two of them to my gift exchange gift for the big family get together january 2nd.  im also making the post it note holders for all my uncles and the notepads for all my aunts.  i wont repost a pic as they will be same as what was just posted just differnt designs. 

so for christmas i made 10 pockets, 4 post it note holders, 4 notepads, got 8 more notepads made just have to design the front cover to them.  I only got 8 more post it note holders to make.   so i'm sitting pretty good as far as christmas goes, i even have some time to make a few goodies.
I was thinking my chocolate butterscotch crispie treats, peanut butter balls, and peanut butter kiss cookies.  YUM YUM!  going to make some for my family gathering too, but i dont want them to harden so i'll do that batch closer to new years, or on new years; what a way to ring in the new year then baking.  LOL!  we'll have to see what i work.

Making Headway for Christmas!

Well I've done it.  I've managed to get all the handmade gifts done that i need to get done by Christmas.  I got all the presents wrapped and ready to go, i just have that little added touch with the curling ribbon that im most likely going to skip this year.  (everyone just tosses it anyways).  I just need to add the cookies and candycanes to the packages.

Now the only thing i have left to do are my 6 listpads and 6 post it note holders for January 2nd.  The basics are done for the list pad.  I just need to decorate the front of it.  I'll make sure to post pictures hopefully this week. 

Christmas is around the corner!!!!

Wow, Christmas will be around the corner in just a week.  The time just flew by, doesn't help when I worked 6 days in a row this past work week.  YIKES!  Bearley made a dent in that to do list.  I managed to get a few done, but not as much as I liked.  Got some gifts wrapped.

I can Officially say I've contracted the BAH HUM BUG disease!  LOL!

I've been so bummed and working hard that i didn't bother with Christmas decorations except 1 small 32 in tree with 2 ornaments.  How pitiful is that?  I usually have all my decorations up first week of December, and Cards mailed out shortly after thanksgiving. Presents are usually already wrapped and ready to go by now.  and any handmade crafts would only have the finishing touches to be needed this week.  So boy I'm in for alot of work.  I have tomorrow and Friday off, then i work one night and off again for a day.  then i work mornings the rest of the week til 3.  then have the 23rd and 24th off.  So hopefully with the 3 days off and then working on them after work in the afternoon i can at least get the gifts done.

 

Snow, snow and more snow!

So the snow has came, and LOTS of it.  I had to work last night during all that snow.  Boy was it crazy our outside doors at Dollar General broke, all the snow on the track would not allow them to close properly.  We were lucky to even get them closed to lock them for the night.  Also all the other Dollar Generals closed around us like Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, New London, and Clintonville, however we were never given the okay to close.  YES the Store Manager was pretty upset and finally at 8pm decided to get ahold of someone to close.  The District Manager who is the one to give permission to close early would not answer the phone, so the Store manager called the ERC center (basically help center).  Just explained what was going on, and said she had to close early.  So after all that i got to go home a half hour early. Whoo hoo right.  Well for me it was great expecting my day off today i was excited.  

Well so not the case.   8:30am my hubby answers the phone and brings it down to me.  Yep you guessed it i got called in due to the cashier being stuck in his driveway with no way out.  :(  It definetely sucks when you live walking distance to work.  No excuses for not being able to make it.  I didnt have a camera when i went to work so i couldnt get a picture of the snow 5 stairs up in my apartment hallway, or the waist high snow piles left in the middle of the street by the snow plows.  When i left for work they were taking dump trucks and bobcats to get the snow out of the street.  when i got to work the radio was saying no snow plows on the streets between 2pm and Midnight so plan accordingly.  they wouldnt even come out to help if your in a ditch.  

What you except for the City of Waupaca to save on the budget.  I’ll tell you one thing in the winter you always know when you reach waupaca county the roads suck.  every year.

 

More Critters!!!

So I came home from work Friday and didnt notice nothing diffrent.  My hubby tried hinting around that there was something new  by asking if everything in the house was fine.  Well the only thing diffrent i noticed at the time was the Bearded Dragon tank had thier lights off and it was early.  I checked on them and i found the biggest one laying around with the smallest one on its back.  Hubby was on his way home from Appleton at the time.  I didnt catch on that there was something new in the house. 

I woke up Saturday morning to turn thier lights on and boy did i get a suprise.  Here there was a 4th bearded dragon in there.  We seen it at the pet shop Thursday and found out it was a female and almost 6 years old.  She has her nails a little curved as the person that took it to the petshop to rehome it didnt take very good care of her nails.  So the 4th dragon is the one from the petshop.  I really didnt want it because of the nails and how old it was.  I did like the patterns in her, and she is very pretty with the light colored head.  at first she looked like a regular grey one, but you look more closely she is brown, white, and cream.  

 

Then getting home today i found all 4 of them in a big mosh pile under the heat lamp.  I guess even they wanted the extra heat with how cold it is outside.  LOL! They are very interesting creatures.  I love watching them roam the house and puff up and turn thier beards colors when upset, and how they bob thier heads and wave at eachother.  its so cute.  I took the pictures from both sides so you could see all 4 of them.  They are such camera hams.  LOL! 

Finally got some done!

So I spent my day off yesterday relaxing and making some things on my list of Christmas gifts.  I got 3 post it note holders done and decorated 2 of the hot chocolate pockets.  :)  I guess that's a start.  Here are a few pictures of what I got done.

Well then as I was loading these pics to my computer and I had to copy my internal camera memory to the card.  I found alot of Pictures my nieces have taken of my Teacup Chihuahua that passed on.  I started crying.  Those that have read this blog knows what happened.  I still miss my Minnie.

??? what to do with it now?

Okay so I had the whole day off and spent most of it snuggling with the dogs.  I did get 16 of my pockets done.  I got the idea from Beth-A-Palooza.  Then I tweaked it to have 2 pockets similar to Mish Mash.  I like her bags better then the lunch bags.  However i got what i could at the store without having to wait for them to ship.  The way i tweaked them is i folded it so the top opening stayed the top, and then the part you fold down, i folded in.  They aren't decorated yet but here is a picture.

Then I sat down for a while to watch some movies with the hubby and check my SCS, and other things and i got warmed up by my 2 personal heaters.  Apparently they wanted in on what was going on in SCS world tonight.  LOL!

Where has the Time gone?

Well here is December 8th, and all I can think of is where did all the time go.   It seems like just yesterday it was Halloween.  It's like November took flight and flew away.  LOL! 
Well I have a day off of work tomorrow, so for me it is a day to get started on all those Holiday gifts i want to hand make with being short on cash.  So i have a pretty decent list of things to create.

*A2 card box kits
*Hot chocolate/Hot Apple Cider Pockets
*Post it note holders
*Desk Calenders

Possibly some more depending on what I can find and who i have left on my list.

The ones that will take up the most time are the Card kits, as i would like to include a decent amount of cards to go with them.  I should at least be able to make a dent in some of the items.  OH, don't worry i will post pics of what i create.  I wouldn't leave you gals hanging in the wind.  Then will come all the wrapping.  I only work part-time in retail, but boy does December kick a cashier's hiney.  By the time i get home all i want to do is sit and relax.  So try to stick to all the other stuff on my days off.  If I'm lucky I'll have energy to get decorations up on the my next day off after tomorrows. 

I've been TAGGED!!! :o)

I'd like to recognize other blogger friends of mine with some 'Attitude' of their own...may that
be funny, caring,cheery, aggressive,spunky, sporty all of the above, etc...make it anything your heart desires...Ultimately we ALL have a very creative attitude toward this wonderful 'paper hobby' of ours :o)
My 5 choices for this AWARD are the following wonderful gals are:


Patty (LaLatty)

Emily (emiwcsoccer10)

Laura Jean ~LJ (LauraJean)

Jeanette (Forest Ranger)

Donna (Ocicat)


Part of the fun is that each recipient MUST share 3 unknown (or little known) facts about herself.

Here are mine:

1. I really don’t like having all the hubby’s snakes around.

2. I love shopping and spend money foolishly sometimes.

3. I like to stick to myself since I'm not very outgoing so its hard to make friends in the real world.  It seems there arn't many people around my area that share my intrests.  so it's usually Work and Home and SCS for me.

Oh what’s that you want one more tid bit of information…...

Okay…. I got all these great cards and rarely send any of them out. Sometimes I feel they are too pretty to just be tossed aside. Instead I end up looking back at them for inspiration on my own cards.

So now you know
 

I have been tagged! :o)
My friend VIVIAN AKA Blusky presented me with a blog *ATTITUDE* award...hehehehe

Flowers for Friends!

Well I've completed another swap on SCS it just has to go into the mail.  It is the flowers for a friend swap.  I had a card that I absolutely loved, but didn't have all  the right stuff to do it completely the same.  So I thought I would change a few things.  I used a different flower stamp and instead of embossing the Live, Laugh, Love its stamped.  although I'm not to happy with the stamping i think its too thick. 

As Promised Some Creations!!

Okay a few of my Creations.  I am a member of Splitcoast Stamper knowen as fairygirlmichelle.  I recently joined a Belated Birthday card Swap.  I'm always forgetting to get cards in the mail for family.  So this is the one I created.


I also joined in on a Monthly Swap that is due the 15th of every month.  This one there is a 6month comitment to doing.  This is my first month but here is the one I made for it and I like it alot.

The image is silver heat embossed and colored in with colored pencils.  The saying in the corner says "Have a Magical day!"

 

These Boxes I made for my Boxing day swap!  They don't all look like this but they are great.  You can make matching cards to go in them and give them as a gift.  Or for the swap I left them empty so they can use them as a card holder, or use them for handmade cards they want to give out as a gift. 

If you'd like to try them out I found the instructions on Splitcoast Resourse page. Here the link is so you too can make great boxes. A2 Card Box.

These I made one day as a trial run for my Forest Friends Swap.  The saying on the left card is hard to read so this is what it says "Avoid Fruits and Nuts!  You are what you eat!"

The one on the right has decorated paper for the background.  While I was camping in Minaqua, Wisconsin with the family my mom was nice enough to take me to the stamp shop in Woodruff.  The Baker's Wife is the shop.  Thank you ~Michelle~ for the reminder.  I found this really great paper that had a camping scene, I used the top right corner that had the moon, trees, and lighting bugs.

I hope you've enjoyed some of these, as I certainly enjoyed creating all of them.  I will continue to do my best to keep up on posts as I create more.

:)

CRITTERS GALORE.....YEP THATS RIGHT MORE OF THEM!!!!



SO here are a few more of my critters that I have.  My hubby has his snakes which I have mentioned.  I have the Beardies and I bought one for him for his Birthday as well.  He is our 3rd  Beardie.  Hubby hasnt named him yet so I just call him Biggie.



Biggie

Here he is with Buddy my 2nd Beardie.  They were facing off about something while roaming about.  Buddy is the smaller one and for some reason was trying to bite the big one.  LOL!

Buddy getting upset.

Buddy and Biggie


This is my first Beardie I got.  She is Bella, and just a normal we got her from Petsmart.  Buddy came from a Reptile show and Biggie was from our local pet store. 



Bella

Later to come will be some of the snakes.....eeeekk SNAKE!!!!  LOL!  (they've grown on me.  im getting attached to a few of them.)  :) 

I haven't posted in awhile, but I will get some posts with my cards and projects soon.  I promise.