First Weekend of the New Year

and we are half way through it.  If you are anything like me, the weekends fly by and there always seems to be enough to keep me busy!  :)

Sad to say, but it's time to pack up the holiday decorations til next year.  That includes these things as well...

 These were some of the decorations I added to the house this year.  In the top picture is an ornament from Patty that I got in an ornament exchange.  All the ornaments were just this good!  The little snowman jar topper was made in a little crafting group.  The adorable noel tray was a gift from a sweet friend, thanks Debbie C...I LOVE it!  :)

This was also one of the ornaments from the exchange...Suzi you are the soldering queen!  I tied this sweet ornament onto an old thrifted plastic wreath using some old vintage Christmas ribbon.  I tied it onto a stand I bought when I was shopping with my friend Kim.  I think it is an old advertising stand.  When I saw it I just couldn't pass it up, and I am so glad I bought it.  

Now that the holidays are over, I can paint this chair, which I have been trying to do for a couple of months and finish up this bedroom.  I still have lots to do, but I wanted to share a pic of the cutest pillows my mega talented friend, Lindsey Neill, made for me. 

I love them so much.  And they really do look amazing on the bed.  :)

These little guys are stacked up in between the two chairs in the room.  Still lots to do to finish the room and I hope to have it done by the time these two come home again.

I must admit, the room looks a little different, but it is still the one he grew up in.  :)

I am anxious to finish it up so I can move onto Jenaye's old bedroom.

Happy New Year!

It's really hard to believe that 2012 is behind us!  It was certainly a busy {and exciting} year for the Collins clan.  We had 4 graduations...two from U of A and two from UC Denver.  If that wasn't enough excitement, we had a wedding.  Ashley Dorson officially joined the family in August.  LOTS of blessings and things to be grateful for.  We also had a nephew graduate from Red Mountain, a niece get married in California and another niece get engaged!  WOW.

I can hardly wait to see what 2013 will bring.  The highlight in January is a job change for me.  No, I won't be leaving the City of Mesa where I have worked for the past 28 years, but I will be changing responsibilities and will have the opportunity to go back into our customer and sales area.  While I enjoy my current position, I get to go back and work with all the business owners and managers which I LOVE!  :)

While I want to share some photos of my mom's spectacular Christmas decor, I still have 900 photos to upload.  So, in the meantime, I thought I would share the photos of the upcoming Do Me A Favor projects that we will be making on the 8th of January.  In preparation of Valentine's Day, here they are:

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
:)