Twelve Days of Christmas - 12th & Final Gift....

Here's my last gift to Stella for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap.....

Here's my last gift to Stella for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap.  This gift wasn't right for Diane, my other recipient so I made her a tissue box cover (which I forgot to photograph).  Pictured is the front of the picture album which is held together with a ribbon bow on the side behind the flower.

Here's what it looks like when you open it up.  Stella just started a new job and had way too clean of a desk when I met her for lunch recently.  I figured she could use something to put on her desk with her kids' pictures in it.  Each section is for pictures for each of her four children - that worked out just perfect!  I was fortunate that the "Three Little Words" stamp set had all of the letters of her kids' names so I stamped each letter and punched them out with the 1/4" square punch.

On the Twenty Fourth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

Two Gifts!  A set of note cards with little Christmas stockings and a Z-fold Christmas card.  I love these and they will come in handy for those last few gifts that I need to wrap today.

Big Hugs to Stella for all of my wonderful gifts! 

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful holiday season. 

Twelve Days of Christmas - 11th Gift.....

Here's the second to last gift I made for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap....

 A set of six bookmarks in the petite pocket!  Holly Lunsford inspired me this year at convention with this idea and I thought it was a great one for those who read and share books.  If you have a book that you are going to lend out to someone, you place one of these on the inside cover of the book.  There is a bookmark for the person to use while reading the book which also says who to return the book to when they are done.  Sometimes I don't get to a book right away and cannot remember who gave the book to me.  These would definitely solve that problem.  There are several people on my Christmas List who are receiving these this year!

Here's a close up of the bookmark and the petite pocket.  Just place a few pieces of sticky strip on the back of the pocket and let the recipient know that they just need to peel the top layer off and stick them in their books.  I suspect that I may get requests for more of these from some of my family members who are big book readers which is just fine because they are easy!  The bookmakr was created in My Digital Studio and the petite pocket was stamped.

On the Twenty Third Day of Christmas...

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Candy Cover using the Frostwood Lodge DSP.  What a cute little gift to hand out at Christmas to your friends. 

On the Twenty Second Day of Christmas...

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Beautiful Covered Journal using the Paisley Petals DSP.  I was just talking the other day with someone who said I needed to carry a journal because I lose the little notes that I write things I need to remember on so this is perfect.  This is now my "To Do Journal".  It should be big enough that I won't lose it! 

On the Twenty-First Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Box of TicTac Mints Covered With A Snowman!  The snowman from the Punch Pals stamp set is the perfect cover for these mints.  After all, you get that cool minty feel in your mouth when you eat these, right?

On the Twentieth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

 What is it?  This one was wrapped up in Stampin' Up!'s Spice Cake DSP with a Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon bow.  I knew this would be special...

And it was!  It is a Simply Adorned charm placed on a pin covered with Cherry Cobbler Quilted Ribbon.  A little butterfly from the Beautiful Wings embosslit sits inside.  So pretty....

On the Nineteenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Butterfly Box with LifeSavers Inside.  Here's another cute way of decorating the Big Shot Die boxes that Stampin' Up! sells.  What a cute gift this would make.  This box is large enough to put a pair of earrings or necklace in as a gift to someone special.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 10.....

Here's my gift for the tenth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas swap....

 This pen holder is made from chipboard coasters covered in our Designer Series Paper.  Just break out that Crop-A-Dile for punching all the holes on the sides to keep it together.  The pink side has a piece of acetate so you can use a Dry Erase Marker on it.  You can't see inside but I included one in the gift too.

Here are the other two sides of the pen holder.  Those elusive post-it notes are right where you need them and a small corkboard finish this off.  Because it is large, this would be perfect for holding all your tools like an exacto knife, pens & pencils, paper piercer, brushes, gel pens, bone folders, etc.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 9....

Here's the gift I made for the 9th Day of Christmas....

 It is a pretty little post-it note holder for your desktop - complete with a little pen.

Here's the inside where you keep your post-its.  I never can seem to locate them on my desk or in the drawer.  I just might need to make one of these for myself!

On the Eighteenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

Two Decorated Candy Wrappers with Christmas Candy Inside.  These are quick and easy and are perfect for stocking stuffers.  The Tags Til Christmas stamp set is perfect for these candy holders.  You can find the wrappers in the current Holiday Mini Catalog on page 11.  You receive 50 of these for $2.50 - a pretty awesome deal!

Twelve Days of Christmas... Day 8

Here's my eighth gift for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap and one that will definitely try your patience!  These beauties are completely covered with Dazzling Diamonds by placing a sheet of the multipurpose adhesive on a piece of cardstock and covering it with the glitter and then punching it out with the Blossom Petals Builder punch.  Each poinsettia has 10 petals that were then glued together with a red glitter center and placed onto rings made with the red glitter paper and the chunky silver glitter edging them.  You must use a glue gun for this project.  Oh, and have your husband laugh at you for having glitter all over your face!  Start early if you have more than 8 at your Christmas table this year!

Twelve Days of Christmas... Gift Seven

I found this little easel note pad at the Dollar Store, took it apart and covered it in the Paisley Petals DSP.  I then fired up My Digital Studio and created these personalized note pages.  Thank you Mom for letting me borrow your Bind It All to punch the holes and put the binding back together.  The great thing about this gift is that I can print out more sheets and Stella will never run out!

On the Seventeenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Personalized Luggage Tag.  This will be going on my Leadership bag in January for sure.  Too cute!

I also got another wonderful gift today - my daughter!  She is home for the holidays - three whole weeks.  Don't worry, I will still be able to post my gifts each day because Cassidy won't be getting up before 10 or 11 am each day so I will have plenty of time to share my gifts with you.

On the Sixteenth Day of Christmas.....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

A Post-It Notepad Holder.  I absolutely love these colors together!  The Rich Razzleberry pops right off the pale yellow notepad.  Gorgeous!  I love the way the butterfly lays over the notepad but is only connected at the top so you can pull the notes off.  This will be sitting right next to my work area in my craft room - definitely.

On the Fifteenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

Lots of Chocolates Covered with the It's A Wrap Occasions and It's A Wrap Holidays Stamp Sets.  What a great little gift to hand out.  And it is chocolate so there's nothing better!

On the Fourteeenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

Three Sparkly Note Cards with Coordinating Envelopes.  I love these!  Very simple but so pretty.  Perfect for my Christmas presents to those I love.

On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa (Stella) Made for Me....

Some Trident Gum in an Adorable Box made from the Beyond The Garden DSP.  So cute.  Another great purse item to show people when they ask what I do with Stampin' Up!  I don't have this Box #2 Die yet but it sure is cute and having seen it, I can think of all kinds of uses for it.  How about you?

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

A Fabric Tote Made From the Spice Cake Designer Fabric and the Scallop Square Die!  Is this adorable or what???  It is the perfect little tote for carrying some Snail, Snips and other small items.  I will definitely be using this little bag!

A BIG THANK YOU to my Secret Santa for all of the gifts she has given to me.  Every day was exciting to open a new gift and she has given me lots of ideas for gifts for the holiday.

Now, I should be sad because the Twelve Days of Christmas are over BUT they aren't!  Not for me or for you!  I have another 12 gifts to open from my second Secret Santa who I actually know is my wonderful friend Stella MacKay.  So keep checking back each day from tomorrow through the 24th to see what Stella made for me.

Twelve Days of Christmas ...Gift Six

We are half way through my gifts today with this little tag set for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap.  I saw this box made several years ago and thought it was so clever how it immediately made you think of Santa's red suit.  I finally decided to make one of my own and I think it turned out pretty well.  The little box holds 16 tags.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Gift Five....

Here's my fifth gift for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap.  Again, the idea came from Becky Roberts who created a template for these cute little purses.  The Flirtatious DSP and Delicate Doilies stamp set were perfect for this gift set. 

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

 An Intriguing Gift from the Start....  Relaxing during the holiday season - is that possible.

 Here's the gift inside.  It is a Butter Biscuit and an adorable holder for tea bags.You are also getting a sneak peek at a new item coming out in the Occasions Mini Catalog which is available on January 5, 2012.  It is the Paper Doily Large Sizzlits Die!  This is only a portion of the die - it is actually about 4 1/4" in diameter and is gorgeous!  Something for your wish list.

Today you will find me on the couch with a cup of tea and a butter biscuit watching soap operas.... Ha!  More like football since it is Sunday!

Twelve Days of Christmas... Gift Four

 Here's my Day Four of the Twelve Days of Christmas gift swap.  It is a Christmas card with a secret surprise.  I even decorated an matching envelope by stamping on the flap and placing some DSP on the inside of the envelope

Here's the secret surprise - another spot to open with a picture inside.  One of my gift receivers will recognize these three kids!  Again, thank you to Becky Roberts for the design of this card.  Becky has such great ideas!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Gift Three....

Here's my third Twelve Days of Christmas gift which is a little notebook and pen set.  It is small enough to fit in a purse and if you are like me, you always need a piece of paper and a pen when driving around.  A lot of intricate cutting went into that little flower at the bottom!  I stamped it three times and cut it out in different layers and stacked them.  I think this turned out pretty cute!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

Two Emery Boards in an adorable Christmas Stocking made from the Holiday Stocking Bigz L Die.  Too cute!  First, I am out of emery boards so on a personal level, this gift is great.  Also the stocking is so cute and gave me the idea that this would be perfect for putting gift cards into.  Now I just have to order one of these!  Thanks Santa.....

On the Ninth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

A Rhudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Candy Wrap!  Isn't this adorable?  Do you recognize how she made Rhudolph?  It is the Stocking Builder Punch with the heel portion used for his ear.  So cute!  Another great stocking stuffer...

On the Eighth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

A Peppermint Soap in a Holder made from Stampin' Up!'s Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper!  Check out those adorable little mittens - they are from the Winter Wishes Stitched Felt in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  They are so cute!  What a great stocking stuffer this is.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

A Tissue Holder made from our Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric!  Did my Secret Santa know that I was just getting over a cold or that my husband has one now?  Probably not but it was a safe bet that I would need these sooner or later!  Another thing to put in my purse!  Boy, is that purse going to be heavy.....

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

A 2012 Calendar and a candy tube of  "Jolly New Year" Candy!  What a clever combination gift - candy for the new year and a calendar of the new year!  This calendar will go perfectly in my kitchen and will reside right next to my computer where I am always needing a calendar.  Thanks Santa!!!!  If you would like to make some of these, Santa found the calendar template at http://www.calendarlabs.com/.  Price?   Free!!!

On the 5th day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me.....

An adorable Grocery Shopping List!  This will be going up on my refrigerator today.  Mike and I keep a running list on our refrigerator so this is perfect.  The outside is our DSP over chipboard and the list is made from a lined legal pad cut lengthwise to fit. 

On the Fourth Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Made for Me....

Two Caramel Chocolates in a Cute DSP Purse!  How did Santa know that I've been craving chocolate lately?   This is a simple project that could be made up in a few minutes for anyone that you want to give the gift of chocolates.  Inside are two little Ghirardelli chocolate squares.

Twelve Days of Christmas....Gift Two

 Here's my second Twelve Days of Christmas gift.  A little cake to keep and light for anyone's birthday through the year.  Thanks to Anne who created the tutorial on SplitCoastStampers and all those who posted their cakes there for inspiration.

Here's a close up of the cake.  I found a package of these little lights at Cosco at a great price if you go looking for them and have trouble finding them.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Gift One....

Here's my first gift for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap.  It is a simple little gift but the smell of the cinnamon is wonderful.  Thank you to Becky Roberts who I got this idea from.

Twelve Days of Christmas....

Here are my 12 Days of Christmas gifts that are going to my friend Stella.   She graciously granted me a bit of an extension on getting them to her (we were supposed to ship them by Nov. 10).  I shipped out gifts to Diane in Florida who is my other recipient by the deadline but was working on something special for Stella and just couldn't get it done before my trip to Bodega Bay.  We were supposed to meet last night so I could give them to her (and celebrate her birthday) but we both have colds and decided it was best to put it off until next week.  So Stella is still waiting for these goodies!
I love these little bags which I found at CVS Pharmacy - the "No Peeking" Santa works perfectly for this swap.  And how about that ornament?  I saw that and immediately thought of Dasher - Stampin' Up!'s resident reindeer.  I couldn't pass up including that in with her gifts.
Keep checking my blog as I post the gifts I receive as well as the gifts I made.  I will be posting the gifts I made on the weekends.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday Season -- Happy Shopping!  Of course, you can do your Stampin' Up! shopping right here from my blog.  Just click on the Shop Now! button and order all kinds of Stampin' Up! goodies for Christmas.  If there are things that you want, just direct your friends and family to my demonstrator website and they can order for you in time for Christmas!

On the Second Day of Christmas.....

My Secret Santa Gave to Me......

A Cute Penguin Chapstick in a Petite Pocket!  This little guy is going directly into my purse.  I am always looking for some chapstick during the cold winter months so this is great.  It is also a perfect idea for my daughter's Christmas stocking.  Since she is up in Montana, she will be in need of chapstick and she already indicated that she is having trouble keeping track of them.  How could you lose a cute little guy like this?  Now I just need to go on the hunt to find another one like him because he is MINE!!!!!

I goofed up on the timing of this post so it posted late!

On the Third Day of Christmas....

My Secret Santa Gave to Me...

A decorated pen and notepad on a ring!  Very cute!  I can definitely use these.  What a great advertisement for what I do that I can carry in my purse with me.  It is also a great little gift for those extra people on your gift list like your hairdresser, mailperson or teacher.   I think I need to get started on a few of these myself!

On the First Day of Christmas....

My Stampin' Up! Secret Santa Sent to Me......

Two Kimono cards!!!  Aren't they adorable?  Several of the Stampers for Others group signed up for a Secret Santa gift exchange for Christmas.  We each made 12 gifts to send to two other members of the group.  I received one set of 12 gifts from a Secret Santa (I hope I learn at some point who she is!) and one set from my friend Stella.  I am opening one gift each day over the next 24 days and the best part is that I will be sharing them all with you.  Just leave me a comment or email me if you have any questions on how to make any of these goodies and I will do my best to provide instructions.

Also over the next few weeks, I will also include pictures of the 12 gifts that I sent out so you can see those too.

This is like the best Advent Calendar I have ever had.  As a child, I liked peeling back those little windows and getting a tiny piece of candy but this is so much better.  Check back here each day and you too can use these gifts as your countdown to Christmas too!

Boy, Do I Have Some Catching Up to Do!!!

Wow, it has been too long since I posted, hasn't it?  So much has gone on that my blogging just took a back seat to everything else.  Since I posted last, I held my annual 30 Christmas cards class, helped another demo put the class together for her customers, spent 17 days in Bodega Bay and had Cassidy home for Thanksgiving!  The best part - definitely having my daughter home for Thanksgiving.   I knew I would cry a bit when I saw her come down the escalator at the airport but in actuality, she barely  made it to the bottom before I was running up and grabbing ahold of her to give her the biggest hug ever.  Man, have I missed that girl!  Fortunately she will be home again on the 17th for three glorious weeks!

And now to stamping business!  Technique Tuesday is on hold until the beginning of the year.  Later today I will be posting the first of 24 gifts I have received so those will fill up the month of December.  Until then, here's three cards that we made at an October workshop I held.  Each of the cards was CASE'd from cards I saw on Splitcoaststampers with my own little twist added to them.  Thank you to the lovely ladies who inspired me!

 Supplies Needed:

• Early Espresso, Island Indigo & Very Vanilla cardstock.
• Vellum
• Gently Falling & Hand Penned Holidays stamp sets
• More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party & Island Indigo Classic Ink & Chocolate Chip Craft Ink
• Gold Embossing Powder
• Spice Cake Designer Button & Gold Brads
• Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon & Linen Thread

 Supplies Needed:

• Very Vanilla, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade & Basic Black Cardstock
• Basic Black Classic & Craft Inks
• Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade & Old Olive Classic Inks
• Happiness Shared & Nature's Pace stamp sets
• Brights Glitter Brad & Pearl
• Framed Tulips Embossing Folder
• Dazzling Diamonds

Supplies Needed:

• Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush & Whisper White Cardstock
• Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie & Concord Crush Inks
• Fabulous Florets & Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets
• Versamark & White Embossing Powder
• Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon & Antique Brads
• Scallop Circle, 3 1/2" Circle, 3" Circle & Beautiful Wings Dies
• Oval, Scallop Oval & Modern Label Punches
• Pearls