Are we ready yet?

Are you busy running around buying last minute gifts, wrapping presents, making cookies or the last minute card? I know that this weekend has been time to pull a lot of things together for me or "out of the hat" so to speak. I've got MOST of the wrapping done - had to make sure I could get everything back to NY so the DH called a friend and we have borrowed a covered trailer so that I could be sure that my bows wouldn't crush and my paper wouldn't get soggy in the ski carrier. I didn't want to wait until Chirstmas Eve to wrap - that's when I start to relax and enjoy. So, I've had the Christmas cd's going and plenty of tape on hand to do my Martha thing.

I also fit some time in to stamp and thought I would share a few projects. I'm gonna be brief on the supplies so that I can do a few more things before we head to a Christmas party tonight. First up are some Christmas cards. I had to wait until they made their way to mailboxes but if they haven't, sit tight - I was a little late this year.



I loved my Papertrey Ink September release sets. This card was deisgned by one of the design team members. I found it as I cruised through their blogs looking for ideas on how to use the stamps. This tree is so pretty. It's from the Tree Trimming Trio set. I love the swirls and pointed boughs. The buttons were easy to place as the stamp has outlines to help guide you. The set had some pretty ornament stamps that could be used there as well. I chose to follow the sample and used dark buttons (most liekly rescued from an old shirt). The Noel sentiment is also in this set but the background is from Peaceful Poinsettia. I added a silk ribbon bow and antiqued the image using Tim Holtz distress inks. The music note paper was in the Fa La La pack by Making Memories (I think, I've lost the label) but I know I found it at Target last year.

Next up... Vervealisious



This card uses the Ornamental Christmas set from Verve. Tiffany got it for me last year for Christmas and I can't tell you I how much I've used this. It's making it's way onto my gift tags this year and the sentiments found their way onto a few cards throughout the year. It's that versitile and the ornaments are just so elegant. I choose to make this a little more rustic so I picked the solid bulb but paired it with the flair of the cursive sentiment. I then added a picture hanger at the top so I could loop some hemp and "hang" it from the boughs I made. Yes, this stamp is in the set as well. See, it's got lots of neat things for you. The little holly and berries used to adorn the ornament was made with a small punch I found at JoAnn's this year by EK Success. Of course, I had to drive to Detroit to find it because my small store just doesn't have much stock but I did get it on sale and used it on a few things this season. The design paper is Christmas Cheer by K&Company and again, I bought it last year. Do you see the pattern here...I buy (ok, hoard) and then I get around to using. The ribbon was bought with Chirstmas cards in mind. It's just more of the bargains I found at Mary Maxim's this summer. I passed it by at first because it was so dark and then a light bulb clicked off that it would be the perfect color to pair with Christmas red. I scurried - yes I was a bit frantic that it would be gone, and was relieved to find it in their tent sale. See, it just takes me time to find the usefulness of my supplies.

I again softened the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink, this time I went a little darker with Vintage Photo so that it gave the apperance of being in the woods.

Next up...

They're here. Yes, the cabinets have finally arrived. They were a few days late as the manufacturer had to close the plant due to an ice storm but they got in late Thursday night. The staff at good 'ol LumberJack stayed late to pull them off one truck and load them onto one of ours so they could be delivered early Friday morning. I had hoped that some of them would have been installed but no - they apparantly need to acclimate to the termperature of the house before they can be hung or they are likely to crack. Soooo, on Monday the hanging begins. Our kitchen and living room are filled with the unboxed cabinets and I was thrilled to see the color and design. I am VERY pleased. Last minute Shaun and I switched to a Burgandy Cherry and we are so happy we did. They look great check them out...



This is a view of the cabinet that will go over the refrigerator. It's 24 inches deep and it looks like it will hold a ton. I now need a step stool so that I can reach in the way back without the DH's assistance. You also get a view of one of the open shelves that will sit on either side over the sink.



This is a view of one of the smaller cabinets that will sit on either side of the microwave over the stove. At first we were going to have open wine racks/shelves and last minute we switched to enclosed cabinets so that I could fit more in and have less visible clutter. You also get a view of the wall color - a soft earthy mutted yellow. For those of you who know us, it's the same color as our NY kitchen. Also in this view is the tile. What an improvement over the stuff we had before. You'll notice that the base moulding is not up yet in this location as they are waiting for the cabinet to be mounted next to the refridgerator. Here's a look at that...



It's massive. I couldn't even fit it all into the picture. Wouldn't you know that I painted most of the back wall thinking that I didn't know how high the cabinets would go and this is almost 3 inches shy of the ceiling. That means once the crown is installed it will be just skimming the top. Oh well - better safe than sorry. You can see in the background that I skimped on the corner wall because I didn't want to waste time and paint where a cabinet was going to be. I also thought it might be fun for the next person that redoes the kitchen to see a little of the history of it's changes throughout time.

Ok - gotta go finish some wrapping.

Have a great week as we enter the Christmas season. We'll be heading to NY on Wednesday so I don't know if I'll have time to get back to you before then. Thank you for your support and kind words as I journey through the world of paper arts. While I wish I could create side by side with all of you, it's been fun to share my creations and inspirations via the net.

I wish you Peace and Happiness for the coming year.

Love, Cath