Getting to know me...Christmas Edition

This was a list of questions from a thread on SS...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love both! Depends on the gift and how much time I have.
2. Real tree or artificial? I love a real tree but I'm really an artificial tree girl at heart. I like to put the tree up on Thanksgiving and I hate vacuuming tree needles.
3. How many trees do you put up in your home? One...although Kyla has a tiny one on her vanity.
4. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving.
5. When do you take the tree down? After New Years when I get my energy back to put all the decorations away.
6. Do you like eggnog? Not really. Depends if there's booze in it.
7. Favorite gift received as a child? I always loved my XMas presents. I can't single out just one
8. Favorite person to buy for? This year...Travis...I have a really great idea for a gift and I'm having fun purchasing it.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My girls...they always give me a list.
10. Do you have a nativity scene? I have 2. One is really old from when I was a kid and the other is a new Jim Shore Scene that my Mom bought me last year.
11. Angel on the tree top or a star? Always a star...
12. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? That's not a nice question.
13. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Carol for nostalgia's sake...National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to laugh my ass off!
14. When do you start shopping? I pick up a couple little things during the summer with full intention of getting it done early and then don't do anything else until after Thanksgiving. Someday I'll learn. I used to be close to finished at Thanksgiving but since I work full time now, those days are over. I LOVE internet shopping!
15. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I have only regifted small Yankee Swap type gifts
16. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies!
17. Lights on the tree? Of course! White ones...no multi color or flashing!
18. Favorite Christmas song? Ring Christmas Bells.
19. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Christmas Eve at home...Christmas day day at Mother-in-laws.
20. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Sometimes.
21. Are you a day after Thanksgiving shopper? Never used to me but Dennis has dragged me out of bed the past couple years.
22. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Eve with my family...Morning with kids and hubby.
23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds at the stores and traffic.
24. Favorite ornament/tree theme or color? RED is my favorite color any time of the year.
25. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? We do simple. Italian Meatballs, calzones, etc.
26. Do you go to church Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Yeah...I used to...
27. Family tradition? It's not Christmas until my sisters and I play "The Partridge Family Christmas album". I know...sad.
28. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
29. How many cards do you send out? Less and less every year. Probably about 30 or 40.
30. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing...saving for a new kitchen. Home Depot cards would be great!
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Happy with Digi!

I've been scrapbooking digitally since September and I've actually gotten ALOT of pages done. I love it! No mess, all the papers and embellishments are in my computer, I can go back and change layouts whenever I want and there's tons of free stuff out on the internet so it is actually cheaper! Now that I have all these pages done, it's time to take the plunge and start thinking about printing some of them out. Yikes! I tried printing one of them out last month (check previous post) and although I liked the page, I didn't think about glossy vs. matte. I printed it out on glossy paper and it was just TOO SHINEY! Put a gloss photo in a glossy page and it's really hard to see the page. Ok, 2nd try...I uploaded 10 12x12 pages (including the glossy one I already did) to Costco Photo Center on-line. Ordered them in lustre (double checked to make sure I chose the correct option!) to be picked up in the Nashua NH store where I shop all the time anyways. Why Costco? Much cheaper than other's I've found and no shipping charges since I go there anyways. Costco 12x12 prints are $2.99 each.

Dennis picked them up for me yesterday when he went to pick up our monthly restocking of TP, paper towels & ketchup. They came out great! I'm so much happier with these prints! Lustre is the way to go and I must stay that I'm very happy with my digi-skills. Yes, I'm still a beginner and I know there's much more to learn but I get better all the time. All that really matter is that I like it anyways. Here's a layout...

This layout was created using the Creative Memories Disney Hannah Montana set. Although Jessy HATES Hannah Montana , this is a great little set and can be used without any reference to HM.

December Home Page Contest Entry

Here's my first attempt at entering the A Muse Addicts forums Home Page Contest. This is my interpretation of what makes me warm & fuzzy during the holidays... LOL!

Stamp - A Muse "Holiday Shoppper"

Sentiment - A Muse Holiday Greetings II Clear Set

Card - Memory Box (cut square)

Paper - A Muse (Kitchen Grass)

Bazzill (white & Green)

Bling - Hero Arts Jewels

SPOILER ALERT - Holiday ATC Swap

Here are my ATC (Artist Trading Cards) for Pamela's A muse Holiday ATC Swap. All stamped images are A muse stamps. These are my VERY FIRST ATC cards so be gentle...


Group #1

Group #2

A muse weekly challenge #69 - Old Meets New

I'm posting this card again and by itself because it fits into the A Muse weekly challenge. It has stamps from one of the new Tree clear sets and an older sentiment stamp that I borrowed during a scrapping retreat.

A Muse me!

Last Thursday night I was lucky enough meet and take a class with Julie Ebersole and Linda Carnell of A Muse Art Stamps. They came all the way from Seattle, WA to teach classes on the east coast! Linda is lead designer and owner and Julie is the creative teams director. Here's a picture of Pamela, Linda, Julie and I infront of the A Muse display at Ink About It. I took the Cupcake class and of course in turn purchased the new A Muse Cupcake clear set (among other things). I LOVED IT!

...here's an example of how Pamela and I had an "a-ha" moment one time after a card class at Ink About It. The challenge has always been how to take cards home without smudging the perfectly placed stickles and other wet things we so lovingly and creatively decorate our cards with. One night driving to Pamela's house after class we put our cards on the visor of my truck. Why did we never figured this out before?! I had told Linda and Julie about this and promised a picture...here you go! These are two of the cupcake cards we made in the class that night.

Stamp of the Week #41

Here's my card for the SOTW #41 in the A Muse Addicts forum. The sleigh is from the "peace and cheer" clear set. I don't actually have the set but I have the wood block sleigh from the set.

Cards from my SS Retreat

I'm away at the 3rd annual New England SS Retreat. I've been digi scrapping here and there but I've been making alot of cards! Here are a few examples...

This card is made with the A Muse "Chair Line" stamp and colored with Copic Markers. Patterned paper is A Muse and the card is Memory Box.

This card is stamped with Memory Box "Elegant Reindeer", Basic Grey "Figgy Pudding" paper and Memory box card.


I love the new stamps I bought recently that I used on this card...
Amuse "Retro Rectangle", The Cat's Pajama's "Fill'er Up", The Cat's Pajama's "Cheers", Glitter stack card stock and an A Muse "Black Asterix reverse" card.

This is just another card using the same stamps as the last one.

This card uses a couple stamps from the A Muse clear set "Trees #1" and an A Muse sentiment stamp "Thinking of You". The brown patterned paper is also A Muse and the card is Memory Box.

Here's my Thanksgiving card for this year. The Turkey stamp is A Muse and it's colored with Copic Markers. I also used pre-made cards, (I forget the brand) and glitter. The sentiment is A Muse. The tag shape was made with Stampin' Up! punches.

A Muse Challenge #68 You're Sweet

Here's my attempt at the newest A Muse challenge...



A Muse - Gingerboy Stamp

A Muse - Sweet Holiday Wishes Sentiment Stamp

Basic Grey polka dot paper

Black Bazzill paper

Memory box card

I double stamped the sentiment in two colors so it looks too blurry...I'll be changing that!

Stamp of the Week #39

Of course, as usual, I'm a little late...Stamp of the week #39 was for the Party Time Clear Set. Here's my card...

A Muse Party Time Clear Set - Fondue

A Muse sentiment - What's cookin'?

A Muse card - Swiss Red Asterix Reverse