Playing Catch Up

Whew! This month was a doozy, as I'm sure it was for most of you. In the midst of it all, I had the chance to get a little creative with some holiday cards & gifts and also, grabbed my camera to snap a few shots of T in all her creative glory. She really is amazing and quite the budding artist. I can't tell you how happy this makes me! :0)
I held my second Memory Works Class in December. We made Holiday treat bags, gift card holders and mini gift cards. Sherry, Maggie & Allison were a blast to work with and I was excited by their creativity and the personal touches they added to their designs. Here, Sherry & Maggie hold up their treat bag toppers that we later attached to clear cello bags that we filled with a variety of holiday candies & treats.

The red and green cards pictured here were designed for T's teachers. I really enjoyed making these cards. I tried to be a little more relaxed when it came to adding the black ink to give the cards a weathered/distressed look. I dragged the edges of the cards across a black ink pad to give it this look. I really liked how the black contrasted with the vibrant green and red. And to add even more contrast, I decided to add some glitter accents. These are hard to see in these photos, but, trust me, they looked amazing in person.


T's teacher encouraged the children to send in Christmas cards for their classmates. Each child deposited their cards into a pretend mailbox located in their classroom. Then, they were sorted and sent home in these adorable reindeer bags the children had made. T was so excited about the cards I made for her friends. Her teacher said she was very proud of them...naturally, that made me feel wonderful. I LOVE the bright winter colors from this paper set from My Mind's Eye Collection, offered through Memory Works. I added lollipops for an extra sweet holiday treat for the kids.
This Christmas, my father-in-law asked that I design a special wall hanging for our relatives in Ecuador. I used a photo taken at the cemetary of T while paying her Abuela a visit. On this day, T asked that I take a picture of her with her Abuela, as she quickly leaned in and wrapped her arms around her headstone. It was a bittersweet moment, for sure. We all miss Abulea very much and this holiday season was particularly tough for our family. But, creating a special gift which focused on the love T and her Abuela shared, made it a little bit easier.


Our family has a bunch of Christmas traditions... lasagna, fresh Christmas trees, annual ornaments, etc. I love the traditions and family togetherness. For me, it is what makes Christmas so magical. This year, I decided to begn a new tradtion for my nephews. I designed this advent calendar for my sister, in hopes that it would bring her sons much joy as they wait for Jesus' birth and the arrival of Christmas.






I placed a Memory Works order for this project right away! I knew that Basic Grey's "Eskimo Kisses" theme set would look fabulous on all the small boxes. I used Tim Holtz's Crackle Paint (Rock Candy) for the first time on the chipboard letters and LOVED how it came out. I have a feeling this product will be one of my new addictions! It was so easy. Just apply it generously with the brush provided and wait for it to dry! As it dries, it creates a crackle finish. I inked over the crackle to enhance it. I also added a little bling to the design by using Zva's Self adhesive crystals on the three dimensional ornament I created.

Lately, T has focused her artistic energy on creating penguins. She loves penguins and has toted a stuffed animal named "Penguina" around with her all month. I am so proud that T has the confidence to try to draw new things. She is starting to break things down piece by piece when she draws. In the first photo, T traced Penguina's feet and then drew the rest of her body parts freehand and colored them in. In the next photo, she took Penguina and outlined her body on the Doodleboard and then added all her features independently. She is so proud of her work and her confidence in her ability is growing. She loves sharing her creations with me.

The Blizzard in NY gave me an excuse to lock myself in my studio and get creative... but, of course, I needed a snow break. T LOVED the snow this year. And, while I was combing through the garage trying to find our ice scrapers for the cars, I passed by T's beach toys and had an "aha moment"...I grabbed a few and told T we could make snow castles. She had a blast!

We spent Christmas Eve with my husband's side of the family and I was asked to bring a dessert that the kids would enjoy. I decided to make snowmen cupcakes. I used chocolate chips (turned upside down) for the eyes and mini chocolate chips for the mouth. I took an orange slice candy and cut it into triangles to make a carrot nose. Everyone loved them...even the grown ups!