Lots today!

Wow, here we are the last day of 2010 and I have lots to share with you today.

First off, the wonderful image, Ballroom Dancing Silhouette, from Stamping with the Dragon that is perfect for today and helps me extend my good wishes for you to have a wonderful New Year's Eve, hoping that you will be kicking up your heels and having a sensational time at a cozy restaurant toasting the New Year.

I, on the other hand, will be sound asleep, alone in my bed, because both George and Harrison (no last names here) are out of the country filming. The good news will be that when I wake-up on January 1, my feet will not ache from wearing shoes that pinched and I will remember how and when I got into bed.

Be sure to stop and visit the blogs of my fellow Stamping with the Dragon design team members, by using the links on my sidebar, and have a look see and remember, January brings a new challenge at Crafter's Digital Art Center.

But before you go. . . and in a totally different direction, today is the day that design team members of Dude Time Doodles Challenge have a blog hop to showcase the new releases available today at the new website of Bonibleaux Designs and, if you use the  code "Happy2011", starting today through January 2, 2011, you will receive an 11% discount, one coupon per person.  But continuing with the image. I am happy to introduce you to Salstick Sal, one of the hockey players for the 2010 Calder Cup champions, the Hershey Bears. What a season the Bears had! Sal had his front-teeth knocked out and his nose badly cut and bruised during the final playoff game in June. Poor dear. But if you saw him today, you would never know he was so pitifully beat-up. He sports a new pair of false teeth, that he will remove during upcoming games, and his nose, well, it was really big to begin with and now his scar is so surprising that's all you will notice.

Sal is very near and dear to my heart. I have been searching for an ice hockey image for a long, long time without luck. I asked Boni about such an image and in very short order, we have Sal. If you have a dude image in mind, suggest it to Boni.

Last but not least before I send you on your way, I need to insert a public service announcement.  To help me, I am calling for the assistance of Super Trooper Trip, another new release available today from Bonibleaux Designs, to remind you DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! Have a wonderful time saluting the New Year, but don't imbibe too much. If you do call a cab. If you don't, well, you'll be seeing Trip and you will be off to a lousy start for 2011.

Aside from patrolling Pennsylvania's highways to keep us safe, Super Trooper Trip also serves as a reminder that "You have the right to remain silent . . . about your age!"

Have a safe, Happy New Year. Now off to see Theresa in Africa and be sure to leave us a comment because one of us is the "mystery hostess" and there might be a freebie in for you if you are the lucky commenter. In case you get lost along the way, I have included the links of the other design team members of  Dude Time Doodles, its a loop, so you won't get lost.

Ginny

Nancy

Tammy (that's me)

Theresa

Fink

Anne

Cleota

Ruth
Hetty

Boni

Lynn 

Dude Time Doodles

I am woman

I am woman, stand back and hear me roar! As we prepare for the New Year, it is time to look back and reflect on all that we have accomplished and give ourselves a big pat on the back. If you are a family of one, you have laundered 728 socks (not that anyone has that many socks except maybe the NFL, it just how many you have washed). Unfortunately, the washing machine did not return all the socks that were put into it, leaving a sock shortage. If you prepared one meal a day, you have washed 365 plates, and 547.5 pots/pans. Of course, if you are a good domestic goddess like me *choke* you have dusted and vacuumed once a week. Then there are all the trips to the grocery store and countless hours of other chores too numerous to mention. But let's not dwelling on that part of our lives. Instead, congratulate yourself on all the wonderful creations you have made this year, the things you have learned and the new friendships that have been formed, and then stand back, be proud, and let out a ROAR.

Happy Birthday

I just love when I mix and match different paper and the results are just what I was hoping for. 

Pretty Paper

It was love at first sight when I saw this paper. Truthfully, using it for a card doe not do it justice. Oh come on, you know you're guilty of buying paper that isn't scaled for a card but you buy it anyway because you like it and there really, truly is some impulse that drives you mad when you see paper (or anything for that matter) until have it, especially in the crafting world. Admit it and you will be halfway to curing your obsession.  I do not plan on admitting anything because I do not wish to be cured, I love my addiction.  I am only admitting this paper would be beautiful wallpaper.

Happy Birthday Dear Daughter

My daughter's birthday is December 5 and although I did wish her a happy birthday on my blog, I did not show you the card I made for her. I absolutely love the paper. Originally, I thought I received it from my Tangled Up in Creatively crafty friend, Christy. But my Squiggelfly teammate, Stephanie, advised me that it was from Papertrey Ink.

P.S. Yesterday, as I anticipated, we didn't get one snowflake let alone 6 to 10 inches as predicted by the weatherman.

Snow Predicted

The weatherman has issued a storm watch for our area forecasting the possibility of 6 to 10 inches of snow starting today and ending tomorrow. Of course, that depends on how the storm tracks which translates to a few flurries. Since yesterday was Christmas and the grocery stores were closed, today they will be mobbed with shoppers hoarding bread, milk, and toilet paper. I can understand wanting to have extra bread and milk but toilet paper? Why toilet paper? In all the years that I have been on this sweet earth, I have never understood the need for additional toilet paper during a snowstorm.

In the meantime, while the shoppers shop, Mrs. Snowman was nagging her husband, Mr. Snowman, to move to Florida to get away from the cold. Finally, he acquiesced to her pleas and they moved to a retirement village with a fitness center, sauna,  tennis courts and an olympic size swimming pool near the Gulf of Mexico. Squigglefly was able to reproduce their watery remains after they relocated to a warmer climate.  Now its Mr. Snowman's turn to complain.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Wishes

Christmas is the season when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a time when we rejoice in the spirt of peace on earth,  joy, and, for some, sorrow. Christmas is a time to hold our family and friends extra close and envy the wonderment of young children as they anticipate the long awaited visit from Santa, remembering our own childhood when we tried to stay awake long enough to hear the jingle of sleigh bells and the prancing of reindeers' hooves on the roof.

The new challenge at Stamping with the Dragon is being sponsored by Di's Digi Designs and the winner will receive five digi images using the theme "your favorite winter color".  I cannot claim a "favorite winter color" but I can claim the warm and happy feeling this image conveys of holding our loved ones close and enjoying all the wonder that Christmas brings. Merry Christmas dear friends.

Tree Ornament

I love this sweet image from Sassy Cheryl's. I could not resist turning the little imp into a Christmas ornament and dangle her among the branches on a Christmas tree.

Holiday Sweets

I have tons of Christmas decorations -- waiting to be lugged down from the attic. I did manage to fill a mug with candy canes and a few holiday greens that sits on my kitchen countertop.  Because of its smooth sides, the mice have not figured out how to climb it, until they do, they are about the only thing in my house that is off limits to the mice. However, I did hear some strange noises last night that I am convinced were the carpenter mice (well, there are carpenter ants and bees, so why not carpenter mice) trying to build a ladder using toothpicks.  So for now, the candy canes are safe. Go ahead and have one!

Santa Came Early

Santa came early to my house in the form of an invitation to serve on the design team of Squigglefly for the January-June 2011 term. Can you hear my screams of delight? I first discovered the world of digi stamps by watching the "how to" tutorial on the website of  Squigglefly and have been hooked since. Did you know that Squigglefly keeps track of your purchases and when you spend $15.00, you get a free image. Another terrific advantage to using Squigglefly is that they are the only company that does not let your download links expire. I absolutely cannot wait to get started!

Monday, January 10 the weekly challenges at Squiggelfly begin for 2011, but in the meantime, let me share with you the sweet "Shy Bear and his Snowy Playmate."

Last but not least, Happy First Day of Winter, ugh!

Bob the Builder

If you don't know "Bob the Builder", you are are not a preschooler or, you do not live at my house. My twin granddaughters, love "Bob the Builder" and my very dear friend, Bob, who is a builder, is known to them as "Bob the Builder". And what makes it really fun for all of us, is they believe that Bob is the authentic "Bob the Builder" who when confronted with a problem always responds with his motto, "Can we fix it" to which "Wendy" and the rest of his crew chime in with "Yes we can."

Since it is the 20th of the month, it is time for an inspiration for you to join the fun at Dude Time Doodles Challenge. I used "Ernie the Carpenter" from Bonibleaux Designs Digis and I was inspired by the colors and by my "Bob the Builder" who also sports a mustache. However, I must tell you, I have never seen Bob in a pair of coveralls and he wears glasses, but for sure, that's Bob's hat on Ernie.

You have two weeks to use whatever inspires you from the pictures to complete the challenge and link your creation at Dude Time Doodles for a chance to be one of Three Top Winners or Top Blog plus, it will give you a chance to play with some of the goodies Santa has in store for you. Be sure to visit the blogs of my team member using the links on my sidebar, and don't forget to visit Lynn, our guest designer for December.



I

Shining Rudolph's Nose

Rudolph, the shiny red-nosed reindeer is from the wonderful imagination of Sassy Cheryl's. Can you hear the bells jingle on the little elf?  I bet you didn't know that you can tell the age of an elf by the sharpness of the point on their ears. The more pointed, the older the elf. I would venture to say that this elf is rather long in the tooth.

A week from today

Hard to believe, but one week from today, most, if not all, of the gifts we poured our hearts and souls into will be unwrapped and most, if not all, family members will have inquired  at least once, "what's to eat". In the meantime, the women folk are mentally mapping their travel plans to catch the "after" Christmas sales and load up on wrapping paper and cards for Christmas 2011. The kids will be in the other room plotting how to convince their parents to take them to the mall to spend the gift cards they received or they are texting their friends complaining how the big mean Santa Claus brought them socks and underwear. But until then, we still have time to savor this wonderful time of the year.  Oh, I forgot to tell you, dad is in his recliner, sound asleep, because he was up all night trying to find wrapping paper to cover the deluxe can opener he scored for his lovely wife, the worst of it is that he's sitting on the remote.

Gingerbread Man

When I saw this fun image at Stamping Dragon Designs, I knew just what I would do with it . . .

Once there was a gingerbread man,

Baking in a gingerbread pan,

Raisin eyes and cherry nose,

Trimmed right down to his fingers and toes,

A gingerbread man in a gingerbread pan

Here’s the old woman who made him sweet,

A treat for she and her husband to eat,

She made him with flour, sugar, and eggs,

Then gave him a face, two arms, two legs,

A gingerbread man in a gingerbread pan

Now open the oven to see if he’s done,

The gingerbread man may surely run,

Out of the oven, on to the floor,

Out of the kitchen and out the door,

If the gingerbread man leaps out of the pan

Chase him old woman, chase him old man,

Now chase him, chase him, fast as you can,

Through the garden and out the gate,

Chase him, chase him before it’s too late,

The gingerbread man is out of the pan

Along came a horse who wanted a snack,

Run fast Mr. Gingerbread, and never look back,

Run, run Mr. Gingerbread, fast as you can,

Shout, “Can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man,

I’m the gingerbread man out of the pan!”

Along came a farmer who wanted a treat,

The gingerbread man looked good to eat,

Run, run, fast as you can,

Shout, “Can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man,

The gingerbread man out of the pan!”

Along came a fox who loved to eat,

And the gingerbread man looked nice and sweet,

“Jump on my back, my gingerbread pet,

We’ll cross the river so you won’t get wet,

Mr. Gingerbread man who’s out of the pan!”

No place to go, no place to run,

And a ride ‘cross the river could be such fun,

Off with the fox did gingerbread go,

What happened next, I think you know,

To that gingerbread man out of the pan

That sly old fox had a wonderful treat,

The old man and old woman had nothing to eat,

Not a bite was left for the cow or dog,

Or the horse or farmer, not even the hog,

No more gingerbread man in or out of the pan…
-- Author Unknown --

Christmas Past

Though I would share with you Christmas cards I made for Christmas 2009.

Every Day Dude Evan

Bonibleaux Designs is sponsoring the Midweek Throw Down Challenge at Operation Write Home and at Stamps-R-Us.  The soon to be released, Every Day Hero Evan from Bonibleaux Designs, was perfect for both occasions since someone like Evan is on my Christmas Wish List, my Every Day Wish List, my Midweek Wish List and every other Wish List I have. So Santa, if you are reading my blog today, how about putting an "Evan" in your bag along with all my other goodies and dropping the whole lot off at my house when you visit Christmas Eve. And please Santa, tell Evan it is not a sleepover, its to clean my house! Thank you Santa.

In case you are wondering, Operation Write Home was the second place winner of Jo-Ann's Craft for a Cause contest!! Hoot-hoot.

There is a sale of 50% off of all the Christmas images at Bonibleaux Designs and visit Operation Write Home to pick up the freebie of Evan and maybe another surprise.

Oh Santa

Oh Santa, I hope its not too late to add one more request  of what I want for Christmas but can I please, pretty please, have your "bad boy" list? Thank you Santa.

Snowman and the cardinal

As you might have guessed, this image is from Sassy Cheryl's and its moniker is "Snowman and the cardinal".  What's that you say -- that's no cardinal -- well, I can tell you it is a cardinal and it is very, very rare in deed. If you are familiar with birds, you can identify a cardinal from other birds by the cut of its tail and the screech it makes when searching for a mate. Some people refer to them as "blue birds" but now you know better. The only other aspect of this card that I would like to point out is the size of the snowman's nose, if you think its large, you should see his mother's.

O Christmas Tree

*Wink *Wink Ink is giving a sweet freebie of a potted tree image for a challenge to decorate the tree. This my friends, is as close as I will come to decorating a Christmas tree this year.  I love the results. It is not a big tree like I'm used to, but it was total enjoyment to decorate and I had nothing to drag from the attic or stow away after the holidays. 

What time is it?

If by chance you were one of the lucky kids who sat in the Peanut Gallery, or part of the millions of children who watched from home, then you already know the answer, "It's Howdy Doody Time". What fun it was to watch the antics of Howdy and his pals, Buffalo Bob, Clarabell the Clown, Princess Summerfall Winterspring and Howdy's sister, Heidi Doody, to name a few.  "Howdy Doody Time" was a pioneer in children's programs that aired from 1947 until 1960, and was one of the first audience participation programs. Should you be wondering, no, I am far to young to remember "Howdy", but I do recall a member of my family (no names) did have a "Howdy Doody" spinoff.

Howdy's was a marionette with 48 freckles on his face, representative of each state in the Union at the time of his inception. Howdy had a stand-in for lighting rehearsals and personal appearances, his name was "Double Doody" and can be seen at the Smithsonian. Also there was "Photo Doody", a near stringless proxy used for personal appearances, photos, parades and the NBC test pattern. The original "Howdy" now resides at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Of interesting note, Clarabell the Clown, was originally portrayed by "Captain Kangaroo" until he was fired over a salary dispute. Clarabell never spoke and only communicated by honking horns on her belt and squirting seltzer until the very last episode when she uttered her very first words, "Goodbye Kids".

The "Howdy Partner" image was created as the result of a new monthly challenge Stamping Dragon Designs has at their group on Crafter's Digital Art Center.  On the first day of each month, a new challenge will begin and end on the last day of the month which gives everyone plenty of time to create. This month we are using a sketch to make a male-theme creation. Also, "Howdy Partner" is available there as a freebie. Join us, please, the more the merrier.

Digital Fun

Looking at this card gives me a real sense of accomplishment! Soon after I received this wonderful gift of an iMac, I purchased Photoshop Elements 8. Not being a member of the "computer generation" I had no clue what to do with it, and for the most part, I ignored it. But then, Stitchy Bear, this weeks's sponsor for Stamping With the Dragon's challenge gave each of us a beautiful digital paper pack. So with a lot of perseverance I used 7 different elements from the paper pack and made this birthday card! It is 100% digital. I know there are loads of folks who scrapbook digitally and view it on the computer or email layouts to family and friends. However, cards are easy to make and all that would be required would be to hit the print button and fold the card. Done! Isn't it amazing what can be created with a computer!

My second card is Kelley Kid's Holly Fairy, also available at Stitchy Bear. Once again, my camera could not capture the metallic ornaments this sweet fairy is sitting upon. But one is green and the other two are red.

To participate in this week's challenge "Make it Sparkle", added your entry here, and wait to see if you have won five images of your choice from Stitchy's collection, Floppy Latte's collection or Kelly Kids' Collection.

Before you visit my fellow design team members of Stamping With the Dragon, please let me remind you about the Ear Trust card drive that is currently being held. All information for this worthwhile endeavor is available on my December 1st post.

Keeping my position

Being first on Santa's "Good Kid List" is of paramount importance to me this month. Just Inklined has afforded me another opportunity to remind Santa of my goodness with this fun freebie. I put this card in the mail yesterday addressed to Santa and I printed on the envelope in large red letters "PERSONAL" in the hopes that it will prevent Mrs. Santa Claus or one of the elves from opening it and seeing the card since its for Santa's eyes only.  I am confident Santa will know its from me by the net stockings.

Waiting for Santa to come

This sweet image "Waiting for Santa to come" is a  freebie from Inger Harding. Come Christmas Eve, you will find me standing by the window, just like this little sweetheart, watching for Santa. My plan is as soon as I see Rudolph's red nose break the horizon (or in the event of fog, hear the sleigh bells), I will jump in bed and pretend to be asleep. But I probably won't be able to sleep because of the anticipation of what Santa is bringing me since I am at the very top of his "Good Kid" list.

Eggbert

Meet Eggbert from Bugaboo Stamps. As his name implies, Eggbert is an egg. Eggbert needs to stop sitting in the snow making snowballs or his shell will crack and then there will be a mess to clean up! Eggbert get back in your carton or at least, put on a pair of pants. Wait, am I really talking to an egg?

Caroling Snow(wo)man

I love this image from Sassy Cheryl's but the more I look at it the more I think I should have deleted several of the larger snowflakes.  Snowflakes come in all shapes and sizes and it is claimed that no two flakes of snow are alike, which is hard to believe when you look out the door and see a foot of snow. I am of the opinion that the size of the snowman is relative to the size of its snowflakes, so, you see, I needed big snowflakes for mom and dad snowpeople and smaller snowflakes for snowbaby. The snowman-director of this choir, is of a medium build so mid-size snowflakes were a necessity. It all makes perfect sense to me. If you are wondering about the blue snowflakes, they were imported from some far away tropical island where the water is blue, or there is a dog in the neighborhood that consumed a bottle of blue food coloring.   And should you ask, these troubadours are caroling "Grandma got run over by a reindeer walking home from our house Christmas Eve".

Santa's Good Kid List

First things first and first, I must wish my daughter Happy Birthday. She is my middle daughter and the proud mother of twins. Happy birthday dear daughter and many more! 

Since it is the 5th of the month, its sketch challenge time at Dude Time Doodles and here is the sketch and the easy rules:

1. You will have two weeks to flip the Sketch, twist the Sketch, work the Sketch and submit the Sketch.
2. You are not required to use Bonibleaux Designs images although it would make us really really happy if you did!
3. MUST be a masculine themed card, you can use humor, innuendo, be a little naughty, sarcastic, but it has got to be for a DUDE!
4. Be sure to use InLinkz at Dude Time Doodles to submit your creation.

The Top Three winners and Top Blog winner will be announced at Dude Time Doodles on the 19th. Our sponsor, Daisy Doodles, is giving three individual digis (sets are excluded) of your choice from her store for the Top Blog winner and each winner will receive a badge. 

It took a long, long time but look who made it to the very top of Santa's "Good Kid" list -- ME!!! I am pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming. I made my card using two images from Bonibleaux Designs and sent it to Santa as a gentle reminder of the "treats" that would be waiting for him at my house on Christmas Eve. Sigh, I love Santa, he's my best friend. 


Be sure to visit my fellow design team members for Dude Time Doodles to see what they have created just for you. 

Reindeer

Sometime ago, I watched a tutorial at 2 Peas in a Bucket by Jennifer McGuire featuring this cute reindeer freebie. I am assuming with the red nose, it is one of Rudolph's offspring.

Holly and Roses

This beautiful image is one of many Christmasy digis available from Stamping Dragon Designs.  Regardless of how I photographed this card, I could not get a good clear picture because of the reflection from the emerald and red metallic paper I used for the background. "Noel" was embossed with gold and is from an often used rubber stamp I purchased years ago.

Be sure to visit the blogs of my fellow design team members of Stamping Dragon Designs.

Happy Hanukkah

Harry Hanukkah from Bonibleaux Designs joins me in wishing all of my Jewish friends everywhere Happy Hanukkah.

The Ear Trust

Stamping Dragon design team member, Sammi, has organized a card drive for The Ear Trust, an organization that supports the use of cochlear implants across Yorkshire, England and surrounding areas to enable babies, children and adults with profound hearing loss to hear. One special recipient is three year old Carly whose grandmother, Trisha, has a blog and you can read about Carly and how the trust has helped her. Our always inspiring, Janette, of Stamping Dragon Designs, has generously created two adorable digi snail images, below, to help raise money for this worthwhile cause.

These images can be purchased at Trisha's blog, or Stamping Dragon Designs and the proceeds will be given to The Ear Trust. In the meantime, we are asking for cards to help brighten the lives of  these special people so if you purchase one or both of these images, and send them to The Ear Trust, you will receive the special image of Jiggy's Presents, that Janette has designed as a thank you for your kindness.

Please mail your cards to:

Teresa Birchall

94, Canal Street

Barnsley, South Yorks,

S71 1lr

Please be sure to include a blank envelope for each card and don't forget to send a copy of your card to Janette to claim your free digi.  And last but not least, see what the other members of the design team have created for the card drive.