funny little thing...

this place called the internet is. You see, I started out here, which took me here, where I discovered this, made by him. Tim Haugen. Oh, my. This man is crazy talented. And, you know I like to share good things when I find them. And, these things are oh. so. good. His adorable softies aren't stuffed animals so much as they are plush little works of art. Which leaves me with a wee dilemma... do I buy these for my kids, or hoard them all to myself?









Freaking adorable, right? Hello? Tap. Tap. Is this thing on? Santa? I'll be an extra-good girl if you'd kindly just drop one of these lovelies in my stocking on Christmas morn. Yup. Thanks.

You can check out more of Tim Haugen's creations at his Etsy store or at the Fantastic Toys blog. Oh yes, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wheeeee!

Have you checked out Prima's blog lately? They finally announced the winners of the Build-A-Book contest! Remember this banner that I made for on of my nieces for Christmas?



Third place... not too shabby! There were some beautiful projects. I especially loved the Christmas and Paris books... SO fantastically detailed!

That's all I really had to say. I've been busy trying to get my house cleaned before my parents arrive today. There's also been some Thanksgiving cooking preparations thrown in there, and I've been trying to squeeze in some crafting time too. We'll see how successful that endeavor is. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and, if you're traveling... be safe!

...better late than never...

That seems to be my life's little slogan these days. It's the holidays. Usually, I am in a Christmas crafting frenzy by this time. So, what's the deal with this year? Meh. It's not that I don't have ideas. It's not that I haven't been busier than a one-armed paper hanger (where did that phrase come from, anyway?). It certainly isn't for lack of trying. Things just don't seem to be coming together the way that they should.

It will be December in a few short days, and I have yet to even start making my Christmas cards. I don't even have any design in mind. And, I'll let you in on a little secret. Shhhhhh... come closer. Just a little closer... I don't want anyone else to hear this. I might actually send out *gasp* BOXED cards this year! I know. Shameful, isn't it? Of course I'll make a couple handmade ones for my mom, my bestie, and a couple of crafty buddies (actually, I'll probably pull from the pile of cards I've made for some DT obligations). But, they rest of you... if you're out there... you'll all be getting the Target specials. I make no apologies. Most of you probably just end up chucking my glittery hard work in the circular file at the end of the holidays anyway.

I've purchased Santa hats for the kids (and reindeer antlers for the dog... sorry, Sake) in hopes of snapping some photos to stuff in those cards. No studio shots this year. Not in the budget. If I manage to escape from the "better late than never" curse that is hiding in every little corner of my world, I might actually get some of the photos printed from tinyprints.com. Maybe not.

So, by this time, I imagine you're thinking, "Get on with it lady! Where's they eye candy?" Oh. You actually come here planning to see something crafty? I see. I see. I have one page to share. That's it. One. Uno. Eins.





A LO I made for the current challenge at So Tell Me Your Story. "Scrap what you're thankful for" seems to be a popular theme for challenges this time of year. I know it was what I chose for November's LT challenge this month. Original, right? And, in attempt to be a little more introspective on the theme, I created this page. (Plus, I had already scrapped about how thankful I am for my fam in the LT challenge). I'm not going to go into the whole story behind this layout. Not here. But, I'll just say that as far as relationships go (not of the marital sort, mind you), it was time to let go of a couple that were more of the painful variety. And, I'm thankful that I finally reached inside, and found the strength to walk away. I tend to make excuses for people when they hurt me. Way too many excuses. Time to shake free of that. Life is too short. Sometimes, you just run out of excuses. Sometimes, things are just unforgivable. Sometimes, you just. have. to. let. go. Even if it hurts a little. Or a lot. And, that's all she had to say about that.

And, sticking with the whole "better late than never theme," how about some Friday fill-ins. I know. I know. It's Monday... not Friday. And, yes, I know everyone else is doing it. But, it's a fun way to let a little bit more of myself peek out from the cracks. And, I was missing blogging even when I didn't have something crafty to share. So, here we go. Friday fill-ins on a Monday morn...

1. The last band I saw live was Dave Matthews Band. Sad. I used to go see them every year. Last time I went? 2005. Sad. Just sad.

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is food, family, champagne, and did I mention food?

3. My Christmas shopping is a work in progress. I'm usually done by Thanksgiving. As for this year, please refer to the title of this post.

4. Thoughts of chores fill my head. Again, sad. There is SO MUCH to do before my dad and Carol get here on Wed!

5. I wish I could wear half of what's in my closet. I've gained a little weight. Just enough to make things fit a little too snug. And, I've got some pieces in need of some serious repair that are hidden in there. Guess I should break out the sewing kit... and my elliptical machine.

6. Bagpipes. My cousin and uncle play the bagpipes. And, they play them well... even marched with their Scottish band at Dollywood. How many of you can say that? LOL!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! Okay, it's Monday. The weekend is over. So, let's rephrase this. Tonight I'm looking forward to nothing. Believe it or not, I do not enjoy the frantic cleaning that occurs before Thanksgiving and a visit from the 'rents. And, did I mention that, in the middle of said cleaning, I have to get Hazel all the way across town to cheerleading practice? Today does not look to be much fun. Tomorrow my plans include cleaning, cooking, more cleaning. And, Wednesday I want to have most of my cooking prep done, and start working with some top-secret product that was sent my way! I'll be back to share some of those goodies soon. Promise. Promise.

Real Simple

I love that magazine. I anxiously await its arrival in my mailbox every month. And, I think that one of my favorite parts of each issue is where they ask readers what they would do if they had an extra $100 to spend. They totally break it down . I love that little peek into someone's life. So, I thought it would be fun to work through that little exercise myself. I even got down to the nitty gritty by adding in the sales tax...LOL! And, away we go...

$6.68 for this yummy little candle. On sale... can't beat that!

$35.50 (with shipping) for this pretty wreath from here:



Too bad "quantities are limited," and I don't have the $36 bucks to spare right now. Bryan probably wouldn't be too jazzed with a pink wreath on the front door anyway (ask me if I care). Ha!

$12.00 for a quick nacho dinner for Bryan and me at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

$6.96 for this adorable little owl stamp (gotta' love Her Arts):



Hey, you really didn't think I was going to make a list that didn't include some sort of scrappy supply, did you? And, a girl's gotta' make some cute Christmas cards! Right? As it is, I have no designs in mind, and little enthusiasm to make them. I'm thinking it might just have to be boxed cards this year. Eek! Did I just admit to that?

$18.73 for the extra-large "Seal of Approval" squeeze punch from Fiskars.

$10 for a can of my FAVORITE treat that is only available during the holidays: Candy Cane Almond Roca... ALL. FOR. MYSELF. *drool*

And, $9.99 to download the new album from these guys (The Fratellis):



That about sums it up. Literally. Wow. Looking at what I have here, $100 seems to go so much further on paper than it does in real life. Because, let's be honest, if I actually had $100 right now, it would be spent on Christmas presents. Oh, well.

I'll be back with something crafty to share soon. I've been on a bit of a creative hiatus lately... lots of holiday prep to get taken care of! Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? I know we are. Only one more week! Really, how did that happen? How is it already turkey time?

Brought to you by the letter "S" for "Stickles"

Okay. I don't know what my obsession is with these yummy little tubes of glittery gooeyness... but I think they made their way into every single Label Tulip project for this month. Actually, there is one page that doesn't have them. But, I'm starting to think it needs so. Wait. Put the Stickles down and walk away, Holly. I think it's because it's the holiday season and, to me, glitter goes hand-in-hand with Christmas. Whatever the reason, see if you can spot the Stickles in each project...tee hee!

The first-ever project kit being offered by Label Tulip: a banner kit. Sorry ladies, it's already sold out. :0(




Hazel as Fancy Nancy...



My December Daily album... all set to fill up with memories next month. I'll be posting my inside pages throughout next month, so be sure to check back. ;0)







Our member gallery lift this month came from Jennifer Yates. Here is her page:



And, here's mine:



I'm really not feeling that page of mine, but you can't win 'em all. On the other hand, I think this is one of my favorite pages of all time. I love this photo of when I was little, and I'm so happy with how the page turned out!



I finally got to scrap those fun pictures of Sake and Mr. Bumbles from this summer. And, how perfect is it that the Basic Grey "Patchwork Quilt" paper with the bees was included in this month's main kit? Pretty perfect.



And, the final LT piece for this month is from our challenge: scrap what you're thankful for.



One more layout from the current challenge at Say It In Scrap: The Games We Play...



Well, that's all for today. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

One week later...

I didn't mean to be gone for so long. Life just got away from me this last week. It didn't help that I spent Saturday-Tuesday hunkered down in bed with a nasty cold. Fortunately, Bryan had a 4 day weekend for Veteran's Day, and was able to help with the kids. But, I digress. I told you I'd be back with more Label Tulip sneaks, and I'm hear to fulfill my end of the bargain. ;0)


**The acrylic album used for the above project is not included in the LT kits, so don't get your hopes up on that.**



Well, that's all she wrote for this month. But, I'll round out this blog with a fun little Q&A from Gigi's blog. Feel free to play along. Your answers can only. be. one. word.

Where is your mobile phone? broken
Where is your significant other? work
Your hair colour? brown
Your mother? generous
Your father? retiring *Seriously. Today. Happy retirement, Dad! Hope you're enjoying your last day at work. :0)*
Your favourite thing? sushi
Your dream last night? nada
Your dream goal? Europe
The room you're in? cold
Your hobby? crafting
Your fear? airplanes
Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? selfish
One of your wish-list items? camcorder
Where you grew up? Texas
The last thing you did? scrapbooked
What are you wearing? pajamas
Your TV? on
Your pets? snoring
Your computer? laptop
Your mood? exhausted
Missing someone? always
Your car? Jeep
Something you're not wearing? cosmetics
Favourite shop? UO
Your summer? lackluster
Love someone? much
Your favourite colour? turquoise
When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
When is the last time you cried? dunno

That's all, folks! Have a great Friday, and I'll be back tomorrow with the full reveal of my Label Tulip projects. Laters.

How about...

some Label Tulip sneaks? This is the fastest I have ever worked through a kit, and I'm not even close to finished yet! So, I'll show you what I've got for now, and be back with more towards the end of the weekend. How 'bout that?




And, here's a special little peek at Label Tulip's very first project kit...


Hopefully, that will tide you over for eye candy until the end of the weekend. ;0)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Seriously. Everywhere you go. I love this time of year... the best time to get crafty. And, if you've got a Sam's Club within driving distance, you're in luck! Sam's Club? What? Stay with me, I'm actually going somewhere with this. This holiday season, Chatterbox has come out with a holiday crafting kit exclusive to Sam's Club! It's full of gorgeous goodies to get your Christmas craft on with. For more information on kit prices and contents, check out this entry on Melody's blog.

Now, for the good stuff! I've created several cute holiday cards from the goodies in my kit:


For the "Joy" card, I used one of the large cardstock die-cuts, a felt flower, one of the jeweled brads, a button and some patterned paper from the kit. I also added some ribbon from the "artsylicious" line. And, of course, I can't make cards without my trusty pop-dots and Stickles!


Another one of the cardstock die-cuts was used to make the "Happy Holidays" card. I cut out the bird from the wreath, and added some Garnet Stickles to the edges. Then, I added the bird back to the wreath on top of a felt flower, and some holly leaves that I traced (using the Doodle Genie from the kit) onto some patterned paper, cut out, and embellished with, yes, MORE Stickles! The wreath itself was also outlined in Lime Stickles, and "berried" with some red jeweled brads, and regular little red brads... all from the kit. Those cute little letter stickers... also part of the kit. Finally, everything was layered onto the card using various thicknesses of pop-dots, and the edges of the card were distressed with some "Old Paper" Tim Holtz distress ink.


The trees here are another cardstock die-cut (apparently, these are great for card-making... lol!) again, lined with Stickles. They are layered onto a piece of patterned paper and a strip of cardstock sticker borders has been added to the bottom. The little trees were finished off with some jewels on top. And, I added a little bow of ribbon from the kit along the spine of the card.


And, a bonus quickie project:


Some little gift tags all made by tracing various designs from the Doodle Genie onto patterned papers included in the kit. Each tag is finished off with assorted bits of embellishments from the kit, and with a To:/From: Stamp (part of a rolling stamp with several designs).

Hope you enjoyed the projects! Be sure to check out The Chatterblog for more inspiring projects using this exclusive kit.

And, be sure to check back here in the next couple of days for some Label Tulip sneaks... including our FIRST EVER project kit that I have nearly completed working with. I promise you will LOVE it! See you back here soon!