Merry Christmas! PPA149

As if the holiday season isn't busy enough my daughter's birthday was last week and mine is today!  My goal every year is to have everything done by my birthday so I can just kick back and enjoy.  Except for a bit of baking things are pretty well set around here.  And I am spending my birthday with Emma - best present ever!  Thought you might enjoy seeing Emma's reaction the first time she ever laid eyes on the Grinch!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Pals Paper Arts has a sketch challenge this week!

Flurry to the Finish.......FMS66

     As you can see Cherry Cobbler and Be of Good Cheer Designer Paper played the lead roles in my Christmas designs this year.  I have finished with a few days to spare and all of those Christmas supplies have been packed away until next winter.  So far the only flurry around here has been a flurry of card making - not a flurry of snow in sight. I am the eternal Christmas optimist..........haven't given up hope yet for a white Christmas!

My two grand-poodles are bundled up and ready for snow too. However their posing for a Christmas card photo didn't go too well! Guess little Adi likes Si's sweater better than her own........

                          Tui's sketch is delightful this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

                                                  

Christmas Wedding Invitations....PP126

A few days ago, the son of a gal I work with told his mom that he and his fiancee wanted a quiet wedding over the holidays with only close family invited - and a $1000 budget.  I would have gone into an immediate "Are you crazy?" mode.  Not this gal - in 48 hours she had everything ordered and organized from the church to the dress to the invites - that's where I came in.  She wanted 12 simple invites with a holiday look that involved snowflakes and could go regular mail. And I had a 24 hour deadline! Snowflakes, sparkle, silver embossing and these invites were good to go.  Whew -  now back to my regularly scheduled Christmas preparations! 

The Paper Players are having a CAS snowflake challenge this week!

Sugar and Spice.......FMS65

I kept the sketch real simple this week at Freshly Made Sketches because who needs complicated this time of year?!?  I am one of "those" people who refuses to do anything Christmas until Thanksgiving dinner has been cleared. So as the Polar Express heads toward Christmas, things at my house are bustling.  I am finishing cards, shopping, wrapping - and starting tomorrow - baking! This sentiment is so sweet that I thought it should take center stage on my card.  It describes the atmosphere around here perfectly.  No time to chat today - there is a freshly cut tree on my porch waiting to be decorated! 

                                               

Classic Christmas................PPA148

                                 

The challenge colors at Pals Paper Arts this week are classic Christmas to me so I searched Lesley's Merry Monday Site for a classic sketch to follow.  Then I channeled a bit of Ann Schach and did some spritzing, sponging and pearling.  The result is classic - simple, serene with a touch of elegance.  I'd like to think that's what Christmas is like at my house but classy and elegant just never seems to happen around here!  With 4 dogs and a new baby in the mix this year I think it will be more Dr. Seuss than Martha Stewart!


                                                              

                                                                 

Happy Christmas......FMS 64

My British relatives always wish us "Happy Christmas" so I was delighted to see this sentiment included in the More Merry Messages set! I will be sending this across the ocean for sure. My mother did bring some interesting traditions with her to America. Instead of a stocking, a ribboned pillowcase was tied to my closet doorknob and Christmas morning I found it stuffed with fruit, sweet treats, and games. There was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner - and yes flaming plum pudding. (I always skipped the mince tarts and that horrid fruitcake!)  And there are way too many holiday pictures of me wearing a paper crown that came out of the cracker by my plate.  I'd like a word with the Brit who invented those snappy things...............


            Cindy has designed a sweet sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!