One moment please...

Playing around with the blog....

want something fresh for the new year.....

In the meantime...enjoy a cup of tea on me.

Happy New Year!

GOOD NEWS!! CATHY Z IS BACK TO BLOGGING!! YEAHHH - I have missed her.... (http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/)

And once again I am BEHIND in my Shimelle journal.....somehow my email was not receiving my daily prompts....fixed that and now I have to catch up!!

And I MISSED OUT ON ORDERING THE JANUARY COCOA DAISY kit! sold out!! dang it! Hoping the reorder is QUICK.

Trying to figure out the new BLOGGER....wish I had an IT guru to make my blog all snazzy....in my next life I want to be a SCRAP CELEB! Speaking of which...what happened to Elsie and the CK magazine? and where is her new PRODUCT????????

Signed...still impatient.

What kind of Christmas Tree are You?

You Are a Cranberry and Popcorn Strung Tree

Christmas is all about showcasing your creative talents. From cookies to nicely wrapped presents, your unique creations impress everyone.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Oh Christmas Tree!

This turned out differently than I had planned..but I think I like it. Been wanting to use these HEIDI SWAPP letters - but the blue never quite fit...maybe I should have painted over them....then I messed up my OBSERVATIONS circle stamp in the bottom right corner (which I am doing on each page)....so I tore it away and used the next page for the day (11) and stamp, and journaling....worked out nicely! My drawing skills are negligible... but I always like to draw TREES....especially Christmas trees. This was a fun page to journal.

Day 10 - lovin' this PAPER!

Giddy over my OLD NAVY paper...lovin' this pattern...wish I had a big ballgown ala Doris Day made out of some sumptious rustle-y fabric in this pattern! I would wear it every day til NEW YEAR's!!

Sorry the pic doesn't live up to the HYPE....

Days 8 & 9!

OK...I realize this is defeating the purpose of living in the moment and enjoying the days as we get closer and closer to Christmas....but I was behind and determined to catch up this weekend (and I did! Took me til THREE AM SUNDAY NIGHT...but I am CAUGHT UP!)....but I really really wanted to do PROMPT 10 -- so I kind of neglected Days 8 and 9 to get to my FABULOUS WRAPPING PAPER THAT I AM SO IN LOVE WITH! Silly I know. But I just am ridiculously charmed by this OLD NAVY PATTERN! (bought the notebook for my car, the wrapping paper and the flannel jammy pants to wear on Christmas!).....now I've overhyped it. Day 10 was fun for me...tho' it doesn't photograph well (whatever did I do to this dang camera?? It's all jacked and I don't know how to "reset it to the default!")

OK....enough rambling....off to make my TREE PAGE!!!!!!!

Days 5,6 and 7!

A few more pages.....up to page 8 now....enjoying the process....how do the rest of you post photos? Do you scan your pages? My photos of my pages are crummy (even using MACRO setting)....

Day 4 (yes I know I am still behind!)

Day 4 - My immediate thought of "dreams of Christmas" was that I miss the annual cookie bake-off day my sister and I used to have each year...now that we live 4 hours away from each other, we don't get to bake together at Christmastime...and I miss it.

**EDIT** - To those who asked about the Christmas letter cookies - the photo is from a Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine....(wish I could take credit for them!)

A few more pages done!

Working to get caught up...so loving seeing the different interpretations of each day's prompt....but also interesting to notice the number of the things I recognize from my own stash of supplies. Great inspiration, ladies!

Happy with my CARDS Day 3 page....

DAYS 1 & 2

I am still behind...but had a glitch and had to start over my MANIFESTO page....I had started clean and simple...then decided it had too much white space...and so I tried to brush on a paint border in red...which looked like BLOOD...so then I brushed some luminere over it....and it looked ORANGE....oh dear. Into the trash went THAT page....and so I started again...(and by now I barely had enough of the TARGET CATTY to cut up for my background....but I did my best.)

Decided I'd try to add some BLING (rhinestones) to each page...loving the sparkle...

Swirls!

Edited: Cover and Page One added....I think I have my BLOGGER working again...though my photos are not the best...can't figure out why they are rotating! I really should read the manual on this new digital camera, right? Sure...who has time for that?

CHRISTMAS ART JOURNAL

Is there anything more exciting (and/or intimidating!) than a blank page? I so want to be an artist...but I know myself to be a "crafter" - great at producing and imitating -- but sadly, not an original. And I have gone astray from my daily journaling...gotta get that habit back!

So...Treated myself to Shimelle's Christmas Art Journal class today (www.shimelle.com)...even tho it started Dec 1---I plan to get "caught up" before retiring for the night.

This is incentive to discipline myself to JOURNAL more....

I hereby declare, along with Shimmelle and the others, my MANIFESTO:

I will keep a Christmas journal.

In it, I will write something every day to reflext on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of the present and dream about the holidays of my future. To some, this will be a stack of papers and trivial scribbles, but not to me. I am taking back my Christmas. I am letting it be something I relish and, most importantly, I am giving at least fifteen minutes every day to myself no matter how crazy this season becomes. I hope you will share, encourage and understand as I make something with my own hands, my own words, and my own memories.

So..thanks to Shimelle and all the others who have posted their pages thus far...you inspire me and I am excited to create and share the holiday spirit with you.

Off to CREATE I go!

Inspired by Ali Edwards

Up and out of the house EARLY today for some errands...and now time to scrap the night away. yippiee! Some shares: TOTALLY SCRAPLIFTED (like a stalker, am I!) ALI EDWARDS' Thanksgiving journal--bought the kit from Cocoa Daisey (so yum) and loved the papers so much I made a second mini version for my sister, Niki, who came out to spend Thanksgiving with us for the first time. Perfect weekend!

EDIT: Inspired by Ali to create this collage of Christmas bits , too...just need to add some glitter to my snowflake and frame it...ho ho ho!

Thanksgiving nears!

Four days til the feast of the spice-rubbed turkey tradition....still so much to do!
But for today...it's all about getting some craft time in. Thanks. I needed that! (and in the meantime...I am IMpatiently waiting for the new Penny Black website!)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year.....

HOLIDAYS ARE NEAR!! TURKEY TIME!!!!!

COUNTDOWN TO CRUISE TIME!

THE 2006 COHEN/GILMAN ANNUAL VACATION-ORAMA IS ALMOST HERE!

CANNOT WAIT!

American Idol 6 - IN THE HOUSE!

Yes, my sister and I and 3 of my nieces were at the Wachovia Center last night rockin' it with the IDOLS. Yes I am a Teen Beat wannabe. Had a blast -- and per our annual tradition, we stalked the BUS until we got autographs!! (Thanks CHRIS, ACE AND TAYLOR! Whoo hoooo!! Thanks to my sister for being the leader of our stalking pack!) KELLY AND JAN: JACKIE KISSED CHRIS'S BALD HEAD!!!!!!!!!! WE MISSED YOU!!!

INSPIRATION BINDER...

My Inspiration Binder has a pretty pretty princess new cover! LOVE the Ali Edwards book...the top two papers used on this page are from the book (where can we get MORE???!?!?!) AND my latest SU! order (thanks, Maria!) included the WHITE PEN and the Stamp of Authenticity set (circle stamp, "genuine article") - love it all!! Happy me.

YUM YUM YUM

Once again....Bobbi Brown temps me with her luscious products. FALL STUFF ALREADY - and her palette is CHOCOLATE. Someone save me. I want it all.....

MY ALI BOOK ARRIVED AT LAST!

YIPPIE!! What a treat on my porch at the end of a LONG work week. YUM YUM YUM. Ali Edwards' "A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper." -- oh and did you hear she includes 8 sheets of paper at the back of the book that she designed??!?! I used a few pieces to create a cover for my inspiration binder....will post it when I get the energy to unpack the camera from our quickie trip to NC last weekend ..... and now to bed!

Lovin Circles

How badly do I need this? (and every other new item from 7 Gypsies????) Only $5.95 retail!! I WANT IT NOW NOW NOW!