as the days fly by

I wonder how I used to do it all when I was younger.  The tree's been up only a week, no stockings are hung, a few decorations are scattered about and only a handful of gifts have been bought.

While I haven't been very productive around here, I have been enjoying the company of friends and co-workers.  A few little gift exchanges, a crafting group, a get-a-way to San Francisco with my mom and a gift project for 130 employees with the management team at work...this elf has been busy!  :)

A handmade invitation to a get together that my mom does each year.

The beginning stages of the paperclay ornaments with vintage trim bows and music note paper hats.

I added some metallic silver pipecleaners as handles to the vintage silver jello molds before embellishing with silver-y floral picks.  These diamond dusted snowmen started to come to life. 

 Their little stick arms held a strand of tarnished silver balls.

Of course I couldn't resist adding some custom colored trees to some.  

 These little red trees were one of my favorites this year!

Of course I thought the green was stinkin cute as well!

Hopefully you will find time this holiday season to create something from the heart...something handmade.  

Life is good...and busy! :)

With Thanksgiving behind us...it's full speed ahead to the holiday season.  We had a great time in Tucson visiting Jenaye, Justin and Jackson.  We ate some yummy food and got to visit a bit which was nice.  Of course we missed Preston and Ashley who were celebrating their Thanksgiving in Denver and my brother and his family who stayed in Mesa.  Jenaye has her place all decorated for Christmas and it looks amaZing.  She has her granny's knack for decorating and entertaining.  Apparently it skips a generation!

My mom is working on setting up her mega Christmas house.  There isn't one room that isn't decorated in her house for Christmas.  And it always is creatively decorated and home-y!  I can't wait to see it all decked out this year.  It takes her over a month to put it all up and probably twice that long to take it down!  Actually, she has it down by the middle or so of January.  That's because she sets things up and then moves them as she creates her vision for the look she wants.  She;s a superstar at incorporating her old decorations  in with her new ones to give it a unique look each season. 

I am ready for my upcoming Do Me A Favor class on Tuesday evening.  Projects are created, kits are put together and the instructions are written!  :)  We will be making four Christmas favors perfect for school teachers, co-workers, neighbors, visiting teachers, the mail carrier, your trash and recycle driver, and your favorite hair stylist.  Whether you fill them with candy, a gift card or a little green...they are sure to be well received.   Here's a peek at two of the four favors.

This little pouch is made from We R's new Christmas line and it holds a crinkle bag and is adorned with a silver and red glittery ribbon, a flower, little silver-y balls and a cute tag.

This little brown sack is embellished with aqua and coral printed paper and tag from October Afternoon, a silver-y aqua ribbon and a simple but sweet bottle brush tree ornament. 

Here's a peek at the little embellishment bags.

I am not sure what is so magical about these bottle brush trees, but there isn't a color a don't like.  I know...it really is somewhat of an addiction...but a happy one!

Looking forward to a week filled with the spirit of the holiday season! 

It's right around the corner

Hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner.  Won't be long and we will all be shopping, baking. taking family photos. wrapping gifts and feasting on some of our favorite holiday foods.

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around here.  Most of the morning was spent on these little guys.  Oh my...I am addicted.  I created oodles of these last year and am back at it again this year.  I bleached them all late last night and then today I have been dying and spritzing away!  It's hard to pick a favorite color. 

I got out a few of my decorations, but haven't gotten very far.  This cute little mailbox will hold all those letters going to the North Pole from the Collins clan.

Here's a few more of the ornaments I created for today's B Chic Workshop.  

 Of course after coloring all those little trees, I just HAD to use one! 

I am so excited for Christmas this year.  Preston, Ashley, Jenaye and Justin will all be coming home.  And who can ask for more than that?

Somebody turned 23 today!

That's right...this amaZing girl turned twenty three!  Oh my, where has time gone?  Happy Birthday to a strong, courageous, talented, silly, happy-go-lucky, successful daughter who has blessed my life beyond all expectations!
Love,
Madre
:)

Living a creative life!

OK...I admit it.  I am addicted to living a creative life!  I LOVE all things creative and am inspired by so many things and so many people!   This past weekend I got to craft with some of my talented crafting friends, which is always fun {and inspiring!}.  On Saturday, I taught my "Gifted" workshop and really enjoyed visiting with the gals who joined me at ETC.

Here's a photo of the kits.

And here's the projects. This cute little quote is perfect to display at home or the office.  It's a great quote.  The frame is embellished with Fancy Pants doodads.

So who wouldn't love this gift?  It's a tub of Hot Chocolate Mix that even Santa would approve of!  The white paper tub is adored with a red and white wired ribbon, extra thick baker's twine and an over-sized jingle bell.  The white tubs are available at ETC if you "need" them!  :)

This is a perpetual calendar to help the recipient keep track of all those special occasions!  The color scheme is bright & happy!  The printed paper is from My Mind's Eye and of course the coordinating cardstock is from the one & only...Bazzill!  

This burlap wreath is simple, yet festive.  Not nearly as cute as the ones Lindsey Neill makes tho!  It's adorned with red and white diagonal striped fabric, white pom poms and plenty of red tulle. 

As promised, here's the recipe for the homemade hot cocoa mix:
4 c. powdered milk
21.8 oz Nestles Quick
16 oz. instant coffee creamer
1 c. powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients well and then transfer the mix to the containers of your choice.  Makes 11 one-cup portions.  Give mix with the following instructions:  Add 3-5 heaping teaspoons of mix to 1 cup water or milk.  Microwave and serve!

This Saturday is the B Chic Workshop.  We will be making twelve burlap ornaments that could also be used as package adornaments!  I am so in love with these little bottle brush trees!  I just had to use one here!

 

This little one is embellished with lace, velvet ribbon and a Prima flower.

A glittery snowflake with an adorable little button completes this ornament.

Velvet ribbon covers up the red stitching, making it possible to use this burlap trim and add any color your little heart desires.  

 I think these little guys would make a great gift for a friend, boss or relative.  All twelve will be different, so you could split them up or give them as a set. 

If you are a local chick {or Dale} and want to join me for this workshop, you can call ETC at 480.854.2303 to sign up, or sign up on line at http://scrapbooks-etc.com/ and save 10%.

If you love crafting and inspiration as much as I do, check out this cute little blog:
http://thingswefancy.blogspot.com/

These two gals are very talented, creative and resourceful!  So glad they are back to blogging!

Here's to a week filled with cooler temperatures and lots of crafting!
Kelli
:)

Holiday Tag Workshop

Class kits are done!  :)  Everything has been printed, cut and kitted.  Let the fun begin.  Looking forward to class tomorrow from 2-4pm at ETC.  There's still a few more spots open if you want to join us.  Just jingle ETC at 480.854.2303 and sign up.  We'll be making 22 tags for only $24!  Here's a peek at the kits

These boxes are filled with Bazzill cardstock, printed paper, ribbon, baker's twine, custom printwork and embellishments for your gift tag needs this holiday season.  I found these cute long white boxes in Jenaye's closet that were left over from Creative Escape a few years ago.  They were perfect to hold the contents for this workshop.  I simply embellished them with some strips of torn fabric (yes, it too is sold at ETC), a strip of Doodlebug paper, thick red & white baker's twine and a large bell. 

A wonderful life

yep...that surely describes mine!  In addition to a quick trip to see Preston and Ashley, I spent several days in Arkansas for the annual girl's trip.  And soon, I will be traveling to San Francisco with my mom to take in the Christmas sights.

In the meantime, I am teaching the next two weekends.  Got the B Chic workshop this Saturday morn and the Holiday Tag workshop in the afternoon.  The following weekend, I will be at Create 2012 with some of the most creative chicks I know...Heidi Lynn Schreiber, Jenny Packard, Joey Otlo and Amy Totty.  If you haven't signed up for any of these creative adventures, there's still room.  You can sign up by calling ETC directly at 480.854.2303.

I have already shared the B Chic project a few weeks ago, so I thought I would share a sneak peek at the tags.  We will make 22 quick and easy tags that will be perfect for all your holiday gift giving this upcoming season.  It'll certainly put you in the holiday mood and might even inspire you to get a jump on your shopping.

We'll use the newest Christmas paper lines along with quality Bazzill cardstock, embellishments, ribbons and custom printwork to create these tags.  Bring a friend or make one in class!  I'd love to see you there!  :)

B Chic Project

I just finished up my B Chic project for the October 27th workshop.  I used a burlap stretched frame, added some paint, printed paper, lace, buttons, flowers and trims to create a magnet note/photo board.  It is a great little project that went together fairly quickly.  Of course I painted mine to give more of a worn look, but you could also give it more of an even coat of paint if you didn't want the aged look.

  

Layers of lace and a row of vintage pom poms help add some vintage charm to the piece.  No modge podge to assemble either!  I simply used double sided tape to adhere the papers and the glue gun for the heavier things like the buttons, metal, lace bow and pom poms.  The frame is a nice size, measuring 12X12. 

The project is on display at ETC along with the Create 2012 projects.  Amy Totty made an amaZing CREATE banner at ETC that is displayed above all the projects by the back register.  Trust me when I say you are going to want it when you see it!  While the banner isn't part of the event, take some pictures and recreate it!  :)

Have a great weekend,
Kelli
:)

End of the week

SO glad to have the work week behind me!  It was a craZy one that's for sure.  It's a good thing I love my boss {she really is great!}and my co-workers, who I couldn't survive without.  

The cooler weather has finally arrived in Arizona and I am beyond thrilled.  With a chill in the air, comes the decorating for fall.  I haven't done much this year, but I did manage to create my oversized centerpiece for the kitchen table.  And no...in case you are wondering, we don't really eat at the table anymore...at least not since the kids grew up and left home. 

This HEMLOCK apothocary jar is a find!  I found it locally for nearly 40 bucks...but I bought it at Ross.  The price? Only twelve bucks.  I need to find a bag of spiders to put in it.  Sure, of course I could fill it with chocolate, but that would be too tempting, whereas rubber spiders would not be!  :)  Also found some of my larger potion bottles at Ross...they were three bucks or less.  A few of the antique bottles came from our recent trip to Tombstone. 

The three white milk vases came from Goodwill and the old lantern was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for four bucks {hard to believe they were originally forty!}The metal fence around the skeleton was an Arkansas find that I hadn't used yet.  It worked out perfectly. 

The last photo is a shot of the fun decorations I have hanging from the light above my kitchen table.  My very favorite piece is the pirate.  I bought it in Arkansas years ago when I was on an annual girl's trip to the BIG craft fairs.  It is an incredible piece made by a talented local artist.  I sure love hand made...it's just more appealing. 

Before you know it, I will be packing up the fall decorations in preparation of Christmas.  Time flies! 

Class Prep for Do Me A Favor

Feeling good tonite!  Finished up the instructions and the kitting of my upcoming Do Me A Favor workshop on October 2nd.

Here's a sneak peek at the projects

This is the perfect little sack to tuck a yummy treat down into for your favorite goblin!

This little handled box is ideal for shower or party favors, but also makes a great container for a gift card and a few sweets for someone who's celebrating something special. 

This treat sack is roomy and can hold many different treats and gifts including special gifts direct from the North Pole.

This little pouch has a pocket in front to tuck a little note or gift card into.  It would be a great little favor to announce a new arrival to your friends and family or the folks you work with.

What a great weekend.  I did a little thrifting, a little antiquing with a friend, a little teaching at ETC, a little traveling {and dancing}down south with my hubby and a little shopping.  Found the best looking potion jars for my Halloween display; an old suitcase to add to the stack in Preston's old room...need only one more now; a great Halloween apothecary jar for only $12 at Jenaye's Ross store in Tucson {the one I found locally was $35, which is why I didn't buy it when I originally saw it!}; an old wooden tray that I cannot wait to slap a coat of paint onto; and 2 boxes of Shiny Brite ornaments {1 red and 1 teal} for a buck a box. 

It's gonna be hard to top this past week, but I am up for a challenge, so hello October!  :)