Another FBTSOMP Moment...and a real challenge.

I had another flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants moment.
I planned to spend today taking a giant step (giant for this 4'11" girl anyways!) and apply for a position with Heart 2 Heart's new Design Team.  I love the H2H challenges because they are Close to My Heart challenges! It seems like whenever I make plans they go awry.  First I spent the morning playing taxi driver to my girls, then had a couple of rounds of lengthy company visits (I'm not complaining!) and before I knew it, it was time to make the two-and-a-half hour trek with my HH to return my daughter's friend to her mom....by the time I got home it was 9 PM and the submissions end at midnight. Gulp.
But it looks like I made it with two hours to spare! (as long as they aren't going by East Coast time...)
Here's a couple of quick cards I made for the submission. (all three cards use papers from the beautiful new Wings line!)

The card below was made last night:

The biggest problem with being a FBTSOYP crafter is...my craft room now looks like a cyclone struck!

Thanks for stopping by!

Marie with a : )

Needed a Fix...

It's been so long since I created anything (over a week??) that I was having major withdrawals.  So after tucking the HH in last night, I crept off to the craft room for a quick fix...but you know how we junkies are...it was almost time for him to be getting up before I crept back up to bed, LOL.

I was blessed by soooooo many people this Christmas that I needed to mass produce thank yous.  Here's a quick and easy one that I did a dozen of:

Below is a little peek at the inside:

Thanks for stopping by!
Marie with a :)

Finally Finished (my sister's calendar...)

A week with a stomach bug put my wayyyyy behind on projects. Fortunately none of them were Christmas gifts, but I do have some calendars to complete before 2011 rolls around. The first one is for my sister, Val and here's the last of the layouts (I find 8 x 8's a bit trickier to do than 12 x 12's):

This one has a hidden photo:

I LOVE this sentiment:

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a beautiful 2011!

Marie with a :)

Last of the Christmas Cards...First of the Calendars...

I typically end up making lots of "singlets" for my Christmas cards.  Usually I'll do two or three batches of cards that are the same and then ten to fifteen single card designs.  This year I think I did 25 singlets!  Here's a few that I didn't post yet:

This is probably my favorite "singlet" this year and is for one of my best friends. I don't know why it's a fave but I love the Tim Holtz die, the weight/feel of it and even the Basic Grey papers!

Hard to tell from the photo, but those are rhinestones on the upper portion...very sparkly :)

My sister is one of those people who has no need for anything that my money can buy so sometimes it's a challenge to find ways to show her how much she is loved and appreciated.  I decided to make Calendars for her and Barb this year.  Here's a few of the pages so far:

I probably should have purchased stock in Kleenex since we go through so many boxes...yes I tend to cry when emotionally overwhelmed.  Yesterday found me crying not once, not twice but THREE times.  I'll write more on my other blog but thought I'd share the cause of the third cry here:

This was a gift, not from one of my flesh and blood children, but from a "spiritual daughter" who will be moving to China with her husband and precious baby boy.  She can't possibly know how much this gift, along with the accompanying letter, meant to me! (The top part says "Mother" in Chinese :)  )

I am blessed indeed!

Marie with a :)

Twisted Sketch 80...more CTMH planner pages

I've been sick for the past two days which means I'm a bit behind. I have certain things I SHOULD be doing...like Christmas projects.  But I just couldn't resist playing with the new CTMH products that I've  had for more than a week and haven't touched!  The Twisted Sketch 80 was just the excuse I needed to create more pages for my 2011 planner:

(I do sometimes struggle with creating layouts that are smaller than 12 x 12...like the 9 x 9 pages of the planner.)

Sigh. The photos simply do not do justice to beauty of the new WINGS paper pack. Can't wait to show the new WINGS Workshop On The Go kit which has even more products in it than previous WOTG.  

I try to keep my planner pages flat rather than adding bulky embellishments but I couldn't resist the new corduroy brads or Wings pre-sewn ribbon!

Here's a peak at just a couple of the new products, including the January SOTM that customers will be able to get for FREE when they purchase some of the new, fabulous products. Typically it is free with a $100 order but in January it will be available for free for a lot less!

Thanks for stopping by...I hope all my blog readers are have a stress-free holiday season!  It's one of my favorite times of year as we celebrate the Savior's birth. 

Marie with a :)

H2H's last challenge for 2010!

I guess technically my card doesn't fit the H2H qualifications because it's not my FAVORITE Christmas card...but it is a Christmas card so I'll join in.  What it IS is one I used for my LAST set of Christmas cards. I had persuaded myself to cut back to just 50 cards this year...but I couldn't do it.  So I ended up making another 30.  The second one is very similar to one I posted a while back...if you scroll through the Christmas Cards label you'll spot it.  I really love the mistletoe papers!

PS Have I mentioned how much I love the H2H challenges?

Thanks for stopping by! Your visit and comments make me smile!
Marie with a :)

Baby Shower card

I haven't been in the craft room for quite some time...maybe because every time I open the door I see the mess and quickly shut it!  But here's a quick and easy card I made for a baby shower:

This is one of my favorite style of cards to create...particularly when adding a gift card!

I used some of my favorite products for this card: the versatile Party Pennants stamp set and the Pretty Pins. Be sure to check out my website for daily deals.  (They are found under "shop now" and then "discounted items")

Thanks for stopping by!

Marie with a :)

Heart 2 Heart: Mistletoe and Bird Basics

This weeks H2H challenge was a sketch. I didn't follow the sketch precisely but here's my take:

I didn't notice my "merry" was crooked until I saw the photo! Guess I need to go fix it...

Thanks for stopping by! And I hope everyone enjoys a leisurely, peaceful Christmas season rather than a harried, frantic paced one. We tend to keep it pretty simple around here so never much stressing!

Thanks for stopping by,

Marie with a :)

Christmas Cards...Vintage CTMH style

I do it every year.
Say I'm only going to design one card.
It never happens.
So far this year I've done about 12 different designs!  (The last photo is one I posted a while back.)  I have a few non CTMH ones on my facebook page. Here's a couple more CTMH:

I love the rest of this sentiment:

This next one was inspired by Vicki at Wizard's Hangout :

Now I'm off to make some southwestern turkey stew for my gang. Thanks for stopping by!

Marie with a :)