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