One more for today...Christmas Cards

Even as a stamper, I have only sent out Christmas cards once (I think I made a dozen or so.) This year, I wanted to play with my Adobe Photoshop and see if I could make something economical. I was inspired at the end of the summer when I started seeing this Gray's Anatomy billboard that used narrow rectangular pictures of all the characters. So, I set to work. I'd like to say it was easy, but I encountered quite a few problems along the way...sizes of photos, converting to black and white, filling the background with color... Anyway, I was relieved when I got something passable (I wish my pictures were "crisper"). I put three on a page to be able to use regular legal-size envelopes. I saved everything as a "jpeg" and burned it onto a disc. CopyMax put the file on one of their computers and sent it to their printer so I could have good color copies on glossy cardstock. It cost about $.35 per card. I was happy!

Still, I find that I've sent the 60 cards I had made and need more. This is something I am NOT going to have time to do before Christmas. So, I got the brainstorm to go back to my photoshop document and change the text to reflect a new year greeting and I'll print the new ones once I have some more leisurely minutes to write them out.

(I think I'm so clever!)

Christmas Tree Luminary

I can't believe I waited this long to discover luminaries as decorations. I saw a design similar to this one in a holiday decorating magazine (Better Homes and Gardens, I think) and decided to try it out (you know, since we were having a party!)

I used red lunch bags that I found at a discount store. The half-tree was freehand cut with an X-acto knife on the left and folded the over to the right. We filled the bottom of the bag with 1 cup of table salt (for sturdiness and safety) and placed a glass votive holder with a candle inside.

We lined the sidewalk with the luminaries and I was utterly shocked when the tiny little votives were still burning four hours later! No flaming mishaps, either, for those of you who might be a little paranoid like I was!

Snowman Kisses Card

On the Close to My Heart consultant bulletin board, someone posted this very cute idea early in the holiday season. I had to wait and wait to make them because I wanted to get the Snow Friends stamp set at a discount and didn't have items to order until late in the month. I was very tickled when it arrived and made these cards for the ladies who watch my kids at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers, lest you think it is a Clean Freaks Anonymous organization!) I used the November Stamp of the Month set, "Peace on Earth" for the Grinch quote, and a font from the first Expressives CD. My sweet girl Katie thought up the color scheme: Kiwi, Chocolate, and Lilac Mist. She also stippled the edges for me =)

Divinity

For years, my mom has made divinity as a part of her Christmas baking. Only recently did I learn why she always made a last-minute run to Violet Carrigan's house with a big batch of the treats...one of Vi's sons is allergic to all kinds of things that go into rich Christmas goodies, but divinity is only sugar, corn syrup, water and egg whites, so he could eat it.

A couple of years ago, I tried my hand at making it and was astonished that it turned out perfectly. I had the impression that it was one of those impossible candies to make (and that my mom was a magician!) This year I have made two batches so far and plan to do one more with almond flavoring (just for me!) I also discovered that divinity is THE FAVORITE of my good friend Pam, so I might just share a little with her. It's been a tough year...she deserves a treat!

This Christmas Season...

Sometimes you have no idea that God is at work. Sometimes you have no doubt. This Christmas season happens to be a time of "no doubt" for me. My typical Christmas is plagued with stress (me and who else?) and just a ton of baggage from holidays past. I get wrapped up in doing the shopping (which I hate) to do the giving (which is important to me.) I desperately want to observe the miracle of Christ in Christmas, but always feel like I've done my savior a great disservice by the end of December.

There isn't one magic thing that has made this year different. However, there are a few notable things.
1. We decided to forego the stack of presents at home under our tree. We were due for a new t.v.--we had a 10 year-old 13-inch and a 15 year-old 19-inch. So, we purchased a family gift for ourselves...a modest, but new flatscreen t.v. Each of the kids will have one package with a toy and their stockings. Wow, does this simplify my life!
2. I changed my decorations. This is silly, but I've always used a hodge-podge of sentimental stuff to change the house over to it's "Christmas look" and it drove me crazy. I couldn't wait to get the trimmings down because it felt so cluttered. This time, I left a lot of things packed. Instead, I did a few inexpensive crafty projects...Christmas bulb bud vases, a color-coordinated tree, runners with colorful fabrics. Everything goes with everything else and my living room looks like a 3-D scrapbook page. I'm just so tickled with it that it's fun to just sit on the couch and take it in. It has improved my holiday spirit.
3. We planned a party.

Yesterday evening, we had a gathering for the "Bodybuilders" (adult ministries group from church.) Our whole family pulled together to make preparations...baking, decorating, cleaning. Katie kept saying, "This is going to be the best day of my life!" Everything was crazy in our little house, but it was wonderful. The pile of food only compared to the pile of shoes at the door and the pile of coats on the bed. There were 19 adults and 12 kids by my count. It was a very merry Christmas party.
4. Mark and I sang together in church. Two years ago, against my better judgement, I agreed to sing a song with him at my home church up north. I was terrified...When it came time to perform, I could not hit the notes that we had practiced endlessly. After the song, Mark apologized to me, but I didn't know why. Then, he guiltily told me that he had forgotten to move the capo on the guitar and had played the song in the wrong key! I laughed so hard! I was just glad it was over. When the service was over, the pastor's wife came up to me and apologized. This was getting confusing. Once the story was told, I learned that my microphone was never on! What a funny way for God to intervene. Well, we tried it again. The song was "Strange Way to Save the World" and we performed it at our own church this time. God allowed me to approach it with such calm and the song went very well. It's almost anticlimactic, but I'll take this ending to the story any day!

Granted, I still need to make it through holiday travels and Christmas proper, but I have so much peace that I can only thank the Lord for calming my heart. I have received a very precious gift this Christmas.

Long Time...Again

Yes, I'm still here!

I was looking back on my last entry and I'm glad to report that I have been feeling SO MUCH BETTER! I have to take my medication before bed (all of it), but it has been working famously. Now, I'm waiting to see if it passes the three month test.

I haven't been doing much creating lately. With Christmas coming, I've whipped up some little trinkets for stocking stuffers, but not even they are original. The Close to My Heart Consultant Bulletin Boards have been awesome for these ideas...gift cards that are chapstick holders, favor boxes that hold personalized chocolates, and "Tic Tac"/Snowman Kisses cards. It's fun, though, and I'm enjoying it for what it is. (As opposed to kicking myself for being so behind with the scrapbooks and being immobilized to do anything about it!)

The days are full right now. I've got an extra little person spending the days with us while her daycare provider is out on maternity leave. She is a sweetheart and plays very well with my kids. Still, it's challenging to do errands and preschool drop-off and pick-up. Add to the holiday extras and I'm falling into bed and sleeping pretty darn well each evening! I hope to resume more regular blogging once Christmas is over...the new year always provides a lot of ruminating for me...there should be plenty to write about!