Before 2018 Rolls in....

Christmas Countdown Pocket Letter for Katrin 

Before 2017 closes I  thought I'd share a few projects that never made it to my blog. Some I made and some were incoming happy mail from friends around the world. This hasn't been the best year for me as a blogger and hopefully I can make a better show of it in 2018. 

Second page of my Christmas Countdown PL

It has been a bittersweet year as I had to say goodbye to my mom in February after her long battle with Alzheimer's. She was the last of mine and my husband's parents to pass away and it's just profoundly sad. I miss both of my parents as well as my in-laws every day. It's good to know that they are in a better place and that we'll see them again one day. That is what keeps me going! 

Last Page of my Christmas Countdown PL

On a lighter note, in May our daughter graduated college and we treated her to a 3 week graduation trip to California. We made so many memories and it was a wonderful adventure. The remainder of the year has been insanely crazy but the best part is that I've been reunited with so many personal friends this year. I love that!!! Some of us just drifted apart as life literally took us in different directions but the mark of a true friend is that you can pick up where you left off. 

2017 is a year that gave me clarity, closure, peace, happiness and laughter. I certainly hope it was a good one for all of you and that 2018 will be awesome! 

Now for those projects beginning with one I should have shared back in May :(

My daughter's college grad card which was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest. I made the grad hat by die cutting and embossing a square die by Spellbinders and making the tassle using embroidery floss. The mini diploma is rolled paper tied with ribbon and it was a fun card to make. I stamped a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt on the inside left side and another grad sentiment on the right. Easy peasy!

Front side of a loaded envelope I made for a swap with my friend, Aparna, in India.

Back side has her name and more pockets filled with crafty goodies. 

There were so many new babies in our church this year and this was the first arrival, Mia Jane. Love G45's Little Darling's collection for creating quick and easy baby cards. 

When it was time to welcome John Charles into the world I turned to the same collection as before. This card was one of my #bestnineof2017 cards on Instagram. I had to temporarily set my account to public to do this but glad I did. Unfortunately due to spam and all the unwanted followers requests by strange men I had to set my account to private. So sick of these trolls on Facebook and Instagram. Get a life!

My friend from Germany, Katrin, loves Halloween and every year we swap a themed project. This year I decided to alter a paper mache house I purchased from Hobby Lobby. Here is it wrapped up with ribbon ready to be shipped.

Back side of house and roof.

I filled the inside with crafty goodies. :)

Katrin snapped this photo for me and once it arrived she placed battery operated candles in the house and used it as a night light. So happy she loved her Halloween house!

This is a collage I shared on Instagram showing the card I made for her using a cool stamp from Northwoods Rubber Stamps. 

Now for the project she made me....a special request.

She made a fabulous shadowbox in 2016 so I requested another one and this one is lighted. I just love it and her attention to detail is fantastic. Super fun swap!!!

Next up is a pocket letter that I made for a new pal, Christina Betts, in Canada.

She has a black cat named Indy so the pocket at the top far right is dedicated to her feline buddy. I did a lot of layering and this is really a terrible photo but in person it was colorful and full of little details to ponder over. She loved it and that made me so happy as she makes beautiful creations. She filmed a You Tube video when she unboxed my package if you want to check that out here. 

Okay that's all for Halloween now on to a flip book I made for a brand new pal in Spain. 

Front Cover using a dp by Paige Taylor Evans for Pink Paislee.

Love using puffy stickers and adding crepe paper to the bottom of the tag on the right.

On the left here and below I used paint chips from the hardware store to create pockets and I love to do that. This little book has it all - wood veneer, puffy stickers, washi tape, labels and fun ephemera.

The cards on the right are a printable that I found on Pinterest. I used a corner chopper to round the edges and I had to use Tim's "remember to play" chit chat sticker. ;)

A cute book with more pages that can be view on my Instagram page at lisa_snowdy.

Last but not least I received this vintage Christmas book paper flip book from my pal, Aparna. 

This is the outer cover and I love the large doily she used. Also love the way she decorated the envelope she mailed it in as well. You can see more of the incredible book papers she used on my Instagram page.

Well the ball has dropped in the eastern time zone here in the U. S. and it will be our turn in 40 minutes or so here in central time zone so I'm going to wrap this post and wish all of you, everywhere, a very Happy New Year!!! 

I'll see all of you on Wednesday, the 3rd, for my ABC design team post. 

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa 

Holiday Planner

Hello and Welcome!

I'm back from a month long blog break to share my latest design team project for The Cutting Cafe. Every year I strive to be organized during the holidays and the Holiday Planner Printable Set Regina designed is helping me do that this year. I love to use traveler's notebooks for my planners so I went with the same style for this one. The label on the cover is from the set and I added Tim Holtz's chit chat stickers to record the year. 

Inside front cover, again the label is from the set and I created a pocket to hold receipts so I don't lose them. Stickers from Basic Grey's Jovial line (been in my stash too long) adds pops of color. The large paper clip is a great to hold the book closed as well as the pages when needed. ;)

There are several categories in this file but for my use I printed the Gifts Checklist, Misc. Christmas Notes and Christmas Cards to Send pages only. I added stickers to some of the pages just for fun.

This is the beginning of the second booklet in my planner notebook. The label is from the set and the stickers are also from BG's Jovial collection

More clear stickers to create side borders.

Simply print off as many of these as you'll need and it's awesome that they can be used again and again. Works for me!

Inside back cover with another pocket for storing receipts etc..

This is the planner opened up and I used a 12x12 sheet from the collection to create my cover and cropped the corners in keeping with the traveler's notebook style. Elastic cording, sold at craft/hobby stores, will keep your booklets together. Once you trim down the printed planner pages determine the size of your cover and allow for excess growth of your notebook. You do not want to make it the size of the trimmed sheets or it will not cover your booklets properly. I slid the elastic cords around the booklet centers and the outer cover then tied 3 knots to hold them in place and trimmed excess cording. Decorate as you wish or keep it simple. 

Hope this will help keep you organized this busy holiday season. These planners make great gifts and they are a breeze to put together! Be sure to check out all of the amazing Christmas inspired projects by the design team tomorrow on TCC's blog. If you leave a comment you'll be automatically entered in a drawing to win 3 FREE SETS of your choice from The Cutting Cafe. Regina will announce the winner on the 21st when the next DT inspiration will post.

Until then enjoy your holidays and try not to stress about the small stuff. 

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa xx

Happy Fall Scene Card

Well it's Fall Y'all so time to share a fun cutting file from The Cutting Cafe. The design team was free to create with the Happy Fall Scene Card template....cutting file or Welcome to the Neighborhood template....cutting file. I chose this one because the old truck brought back a memory for me. Yes I do realize the door and hood are different colors but it's related to my memory so I'll share more on that in a minute.

Happy Fall Scene Card

Welcome to the Neighborhood 

The pumpkins and leaves were colored with Distress Oxide Inks which I highly recommend. I absolutely love the way they blend and make coloring so much fun!!! You can print the PDF file and fussy cut but this time I was happy to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut the truck layers, pumpkins, tree and leaves out. I'm afraid I am not into tedious cutting type of projects and the SVG file makes it super easy to create this card. The base of the truck is a paper from Recollections Spice Market 8.5" x 11" paper collection and I used white paper for the layering pieces - windows, door, hood, door handle, side mirror, and headlight. They were easily colored with the oxide inks and like I said I just can't say enough good things about them. A white and black gel pen added highlights and I wrote Pumpkins For Sale on the sign but Regina does include sentiments for you to use if you prefer.

Okay, now for the background behind the mismatched door and hood. When I was a teenager in high school my dad bought an old Chevy truck that was red, white and blue. Everything was different - the hood, body, door, truck bed and tailgate - and as a kid I was mortified to be seen in that truck back in the late 70's / early 80's. Fast forward to today and I can not tell you how proud I'd be to be riding in that truck with my dad by my side listening to Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Marty Robbins and Jim Reeves. They were some of his favorites and if only I could have one more ride in an old mismatched Chevy truck with my dad. If you're parents are living I encourage you to cherish them and all the time you have with them. It goes by way too fast! It's a precious memory and the fall always reminds me of him as he would have turned 90 on October 29th.


The design team post goes live today so check out the amazing inspiration by Regina and my design teamies. I love fall and it is truly my favorite time of the year. Think I'll go sit on the deck now and soak in all the colors of the season.

Crafty Hugs,
Lisa xx

Happy Mail from Christina Betts

Halloween Card designed by Christina Betts

Hello and Welcome!

I have some happy mail to share today that came from my new pal, Christina Betts, in Canada. I reached out to her after I watched several of her You Tube videos and Instagram posts to see if she'd like to swap. She's a real talent and I'm tickled to have one of her pocket letters and a beautiful card. Thanks for the amazing swap Christina! 

Her pocket letter is a Fall / Halloween themed pocket letter and I love it! 

Christina's pocket letter :)

Love the currently card and we want the same thing Christina. I think every mom does!

I pulled the shaker pocket out so you could see it better.

Love the spooky bats on this fab house. 

I'm a sucker for fall leaves. 

Christina used an image from Andrea Gomoll for the swap tag. 

It's colored beautifully and I love it!

The back of her pocket letter is full of goodies.

Love the washi tape and so excited to have a Starbucks card which I'll be sure to put to use soon.

Thank you Christina!

Christina colored another image by Andrea Gomoll and scanned it then printed out extra copies. She used one, which you'll see below, to decorate the envelope with my letter.

I love customized ribbon!

Here's the image again and love the vintage typewriter. 

Her pocket letter was in the envelope (in back) and she included two adorable bookmarks, some fab trim, a flair and a packet of buttons and charms.

She gifted me 6 x 6 paper collection by Kaisercraft, some gorgeous trim and this stamp set which will work perfectly with a cookbook project I'm currently working on. Yay!

More goodies, can you believe it?!?  I love the stickers, vintage cooking magazine and the Wild Cards she included. You may notice the tissue underneath which was used for packaging, it is so pretty and can't wait to use it on future mixed media projects. I love all my crafty goodies and thank you again Christina for everything.  

Be sure to check out Christina's You Tube channel  

Christina Betts on You Tube

also on Instagram

Christina Betts on Instagram

Have a great weekend everyone, wherever you are. 

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa xxx 

Pumpkin Goodie Bag

I have a fun little share today. :) For my design team post at The Cutting Cafe I wanted to use a fun file called the Pumpkin Goodie Bag Holder. These are great for treat bags! It's filled with one of my favorite candies of the season.  

*remember you do not have to own an electronic cutting machine to use files from TCC*

The design team post goes live tomorrow and we were free to create anything we wanted. There will a variety of projects to inspire you. If you leave a comment you'll be automatically entered in a drawing to win 3 FREE SETS from TCC. The winner will be announced on the November 7th DT post. 

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by today and I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Lisa xx

The Night Before Christmas Flip Book

{I wanted the front cover to look like a package would}

ABC Christmas Challenge

U - Unlimited as in Anything Christmas Goes 

V - Vibrant

Hello everyone and welcome!
Well I'm a little late with my DT post but things are busy in my corner of the world on many levels. We have entered the holiday season here with fall upon us now (decorating today) and right behind it Christmas. Throw in a few baby showers (lots of little ones making their arrivals very soon) and homemade gifts for those occasions plus regular life stuff and it's been a bit crazy. There's more going on but I won't bore you with that. ;)

So today I am finally sharing a flip book that I made to swap with a friend next month. It will travel all the way to India and I've used one of my favorite Christmas paper collections by Graphic 45. It is so fun to flip the pages and find little treasures and notes.! So without further ado let's get started.

 The Merry Christmas page is not what you actually see when you open the book, actually the right page will be the reindeer page (below) but either way it works. That's the great thing about flip books, right! The left pocket is red vellum and I am gifting her some ephemera, small gift bags, and die cuts. There's also a striped paper clip which she can add some jingle bells to and pass it on to another friend. The right page spells out Merry Christmas with red glitter thicker alpha's by American Crafts. The die cuts on the pocket and right page are from Pebbles and it's from one of their new Christmas collections this year.

Love the double sided papers in the Night Before Christmas collection by G45.

A gold glitter reindeer die cut is my Rudolph for this page and I cut out some words from a cut apart sheet. If you click on the photo (any photo actually) it will enlarge it and you can read the tiny word sticker sentiment better. 

This is the other side of the Rudolph page and there's a journal card which I am using as a pocket. I went over the leaves and green Wink of Stella brush and used a clear one for the berries. In my opinion, these brushes are the best way to add a glitter look without the mess of glitter. If I want more sparkle I simply apply more color.

When the book is partially opened this is what she'll see. The large envelope is chock full of G45 ephemera from the collection I used and I think that will make her happy. It folds down to reveal the pockets page below.

Bottom Flap

 This is the other side of the envelope page and I created another vellum pocket which I stuffed with pockets from the G45 collection. A die cut sentiment was added to the outside with a gold paperclip and I fussy cut a border from the cut apart sheet.

Top Flap

I used a clear vellum piece of paper to create this makeshift pocket where I stuffed tags (which I made for a previous DT post). She can use them or pass them on if she prefers. You probably can't tell but I went over this fussy cut image with a clear Wink of Stella brush pen and I love the shimmer it adds.

Fully Opened

You can see how I have added the pages with washi and I would advise that you first put some double stick tape down and then lay the washi on top of it. Washi tapes come with differing "tackiness" which means some hold up better than others. To be safe it is always good idea to add the tape or a glue that will dry clear to enforce the washi tape. Just a tip!

Center Page

Under the vellum sheet I created a page of stickers - puffy and dimensional - for her to use in her crafting. I know she loves woodland animals so these will put a smile on her face. :) The puffy stickers are from a new 2017 Pebbles collection and the dimensional stickers are by Recollections which you'll find at Michael's.

 This is the back of the flip book and it features a journal card from the cut apart sheet. Two gold snowflake stickers and washi is all I added. The button holds my twine in place which I used to close the flip book and I added some green washi to tone down all of the red on this page.

 

Thanks for looking!

Two lucky challenge winners will receive prizes in a random drawing and the winners will be announced on November 1st when the winner's post goes live at 7am BST. 

A prize from Carol

Build a Bloom Stamp Set from Craftwork Cards and Handmade Paper Tags and Ribbon

Challenge Sponsor

Freckled Fawn

Good Luck!!!


I do hope you'll play along with us as there's still plenty of time!

Be sure to visit the main challenge blog for more inspiration by my incredible teamies and to see what the other participants linked up.

Have a wonderful day, wherever you are!

Lisa xx