Giving Thanks and More Crafty Secrets Goodies

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone...and Christmas is knocking on our doors. We had a fabulous time with loved ones this Thanksgiving. I think Josh and I have enough leftovers to last us the rest of the week - and then some! Mini Thanksgiving dinners each night? - Who wouldn't want that!

A picture of my table before.....



...and after.

I once read that it takes 10 hours to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and 10 minutes to consume it - boy is that the truth! But it is sure worth every minute!






Here are a few goodies I put together using my favorite holiday Crafty Secrets products. This tag was stamped with the adorable Santa from the "Christmas Mail Clear Art Stamps". This little set is sooooo handy and versitile! I am constantly pulling stamps here and there for small projects. Like these beautiful vintage cookie cutter ornaments! The tags paired with them were made from the same stamp set and the "Christmas Memories Cardstock Stickers". LOVE these!




Finally, I have a quick tag showing the "To/From" clear stamp from the "Vintage Christmas" clear art stamp set. It is hard to find a "To/From" stamp that is not already attached to an image - this one is perfect!





Hope you enjoy!
xoxoxo

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

I was so excited to see that Papertrey was having a Holiday Tag theme this month! I just had to utilize some of my new favorite stamps! Hope you enjoy!

Holiday Tussie Mussies

Tussie-mussies, from Victorian times, were tiny bouquets of dried flowers and herbs given to its recipient to covey a personal message. Originally the custom of giving a tussie-mussie was done in medieval times when fresh air was thought to be harmful. The original tussie-mussie was actually a "nosegay" and literally was held to the nose to prevent infections and to avoid the awful smell of neighbors and friends who only bathed yearly due to religious customs!

Over time it became a necessity for every woman's wardrobe. Today tussie-mussies are actually remnants of the Victorian era when gifts were handmade and "given from the heart".

Some of the herbs used in tussie-mussies are:

* Basil for love and good wishes
* Burnet for a merry heart
* Rose Geranium for your preferences
* Rosemary for remembrance
* Sage for long life and good health
* Thyme for happiness and courage

The above herbs would be combined with flowers:

* Roses - Love
* Marigolds for joy and remembrance
* Forget-Me-Nots for true love
* Bachelor Buttons for single blessedness

The flower that symbolized the most important wish would be in the center and the other flowers surrounded it. (from ezinearticles.com; Bob G. Johnson)

My tussie mussies have been made from a rolled piece of 12x12 paper and ribbon hanger. I then embellished it to give it a true Victorian feel and stuffed with little tissue paper and yummy candy canes for a special treat. Vintage music paper, tea stained twill, Santa checking his list, and a silver glittered star are layered just so to give dimension and texture to each one.

These little lovelies are super easy and fast and would make a uniquely beautiful container for your holiday gift giving!

Thanks for stopping by tonight - and if I don't get a chance to post again this week - have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

xoxoxo

Crafty Secrets Christmas Design Team Challenge

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Crafty Secrets has just what you need to make your holiday designs! The hardest part will be choosing what yummy product to use. The designs themselves are so inspiring. I decided to share two fun ideas for this challenge (although I have more in store for you in the days to come).

For this pocket album, I decided to use a white, blue, and gray color palette - allowing the Crafty Secrets products to really pop! The album base is the Wood Chipboard Album. This kit comes with two sturdy wooden pieces - one for the front and back of your album - and two metal rings. I used sturdy cardstock from Papertrey Ink for the pages - just cut your 8.5" x 11" papers in half for a perfect fit. I then used Martha's new Cherish punch to add a decorative boost to the edges.


The main image on the front of the album is from the Merry Christmas double sided Creative Scraps. I just love these scraps and fell in love with this entire sheet! The neutral creams and browns mixed with red make my heart smile. You will also see other snippets of this sheet throughout the album.


On each page, I stamped snowflakes and a Christmas postcard swirl in a steel gray ink from the Christmas Postcard kit. You will also see images from the new Angel Blessing stamp set - so many beautiful images on this one!




Up next - the perfect envelope for your little one's letter to Santa. Each envelope is tea stained and stamped with images from the Christmas postcard stamps. I just LOVE this set! I then wrapped them in bundles of two wrapped in vintage string and images from the double sided Christmas Scraps. You may have also noticed one of these cuties tucked in the album as well to preserve those adorable notes to Santa.







Hope you enjoyed these little lovelies. Now off you go to see all the other creations by our wonderful Design Team!!

Visit Our Design Team Blogs!

• Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
• Pam Hooten
• Heidi Blankenship
• Linda Duke
• Michele Kovack
• Melissa Phillips
• Flo Teixeira from France
• Julie Campbell
• Mary Hamer
• Anna Wight (November Guest Designer)
  

Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage

Heartwarming Vintage blog

The Countdown Begins...

Can you believe it? Only 34 more days until Christmas! The holidays seem to approach quicker every year. With Andy and Frank playing their tunes in the background, I busily bop around my studio creating holiday yummies for my loved ones. This year I am a little behind with my "plan of attack" for my gift giving. I did, however, download a super cool Black Friday app for my iPhone! It displays all the ads available so far and lets you make a list of the deals you just can't miss. Many paper crafting supplies are in my list :o)

Here is a fun little project to jumpstart yourholiday gift giving. It is one of many creations I had at a local craft show - all vintagely inspired and will be for sale in my Etsy store. This particular little cutie is a great little stocking stuffer. Mini hershey bars are stuffed in a stained and grubified vintage red net stocking. Bo Bunny paper and silver tinsel trim act as eye popping accents. I have no idea where I found this poem - so unfortunately I cannot give credit to its creator. But the words are recited to the tune of "Jingle Bells" and it is sure to bring a smile to your face! The font I used is sorta small so if you have trouble reading it just email me! (pieces_of_home@yahoo.com)

Stay tuned tomorrow when all of our design team girls for Crafty Secrets show you many gorgeous holiday creations!!

I Promise...

It has been an entire week since my last post and I promise promise I have goodies to share! I just need to get through a holiday craft show this weekend and then I will have some quality posting time :o) In the meantime, I have super yummy and EASY recipe to pass along. It is one of my husband's favorites - reminds him of home. Passed down from my Father-in-Law, I tweaked it just a skosh....I hope it warms your tummy! And wouldn't this scrumptious soup look absolutely stunning in this gorgeous soup tureen? I think yes! I just love love love the look of white - so French Shabby and yummy!

Ingredients
12 cups water
1 cup chopped celery
1 pound cooked chicken cut in small pieces
1 packet Lipton Noodle soup (I use the one with extra noodles)
1 Tbsp. parsley
8 cubes of chicken bouillon (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 package wide no yolk noodles

Combine everything except peas and noodles. Bring to boil. Add peas and noodles. Cook according to noodle package. Serve with warm bread or crackers.

photos courtesy Country Sampler

A Shabby Thank You

Taking a quick break from my Christmas creations to show you a quick and easy thank you tag using a stamp from Crafty Secrets. This Sweet Kids clear art stamp set is simply darling! And perfect for so many all occasion creations. I needed a quick, cute, and simple thank you to attach to a little goody bag and was able to whip this one up in a jiffy. I like to tea stain my tags in bulk so I have them at the ready.....stamped my images then prettied it up with a little fabric, lace, and ribbon. Gotta love it!!

Enjoy!

Up and at 'Em!

Pajamas off - work clothes on and a yummy breakfast in my tummy. Christmas music playing, my little heater on in my studio and me - all nuzzled up with my pretty papers and baubles. There is just something extremely motivating about getting ready for the holidays. Today will be spent getting ready for a small local craft show coming in a few weeks. So many fun ideas and pretties that I can't wait to share with you!

For today, I am showing you how to preserve your family's favorite recipes. Whether old or new, there is such comfort in these family favorites. Each year, my family gets together to make our traditional holiday foods. Hearty nut breads, spiced nuts, and my new favorite - walnut horn cookies made by my beautiful little sis'. (we are a bunch of "nuts" as you can see ;o)) Juicy turkey, fluffy mashed potatoes, and my dad's cracker stuffing is an absolute must. The picture in this layout shows my mom, little sister, and I showing off our delectable delights.

For this layout, I used this adorable Apple Cider paper by Imaginisce. There is a intricate vintage square doily tucked in between the papers and an adorable pieced pilgrim bear wither her steaming pie. The main focal point of this page is the handmade cherry pie board - designed by my friend Bridget. It is just an amazing creation with more detail and dimension than my pictures give justice to. I just love how it looks like the baker was right in the middle of finishing up her pie. To the right you see a pocket with a few handwritten vintage recipes that I was able to continue to preserve from a local auction I went to a few months ago. Here you can tuck your family's favorite recipes in your own handwriting - or maybe even the "well loved" ones that are splattered with ingredients or tattered and torn from many loving hands. This layout if for sale on eBay here where you can see more detailed pictures.

Enjoy!