Friendship's Garden Challenge Blog: Anything Goes Christmas or New Year Theme Challenge!

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This week's challenge over at Friendship's Garden Challenge Blog is:  Anything Goes with a Christmas, New Year, or Winter theme!  For this challenge, I made a 6 x 6 card using patterned paper from Bo Bunny's Blitzen line.  I love the vintage-y feel of this paper.  I decided to try something different and incorporate blue and green in this card, using the patterned paper as inspiration.  Often, when I buy patterned paper, I try to find the exact match in cardstock while I'm in the store.  It's just so much easier to do it that way, even if I don't plan to use the patterned paper on a project right away.  I just store the cardstock with the patterned paper for later use.

I knew that I wanted a large vintage Santa image to use on this card, one that was more of a bust or headshot.  I found the perfect one HERE.  There were a variety of Santa images to choose from.  I added ribbon, twine, and a charm I got from Etsy.  The final touches were the sentiments.  The North Pole ticket sentiment came from an awesome site I recently discovered.  She has a lot of awesome free printable sets, including ticket sets!  Check out the site HERE.  I used the North Pole ticket from one of the Christmas ticket sets.  I also took one that said "Merry Christmas", but cut out just the words instead of using the entire ticket image.

As you can see, you can put a card together using printables for the image and sentiments -- and without paying for any of them!  Hope you enjoyed your visit today.  Don't forget to check out Challenge 6 over at Friendship's Garden Challenge Blog.  Have a great day!

Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop: Weekend Two

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Welcome to Round Two of the Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop!  There was so much response to the Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop that it had to be split between two weekends.  Round One was held last weekend.  Round Two is this weekend, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 10th, through Sunday, Dec. 11th.  We have a talented group of women who love papercrafting and baking.  Each of them is sharing a recipe for a yummy Christmas treat along with a Christmas card or tag.  Hopefully, you’ll pick up some great ideas for your own Christmas gift giving this season.  So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy!

In Round One of this blog hop held last weekend, I featured a cookie recipe.  It's a long-time favorite called Rolo Cookies.  If you'd like to see that post, CLICK HERE.

For this weekend's project, I am featuring The World's Easiest Fudge recipe.  It really is super easy!  Now, I know a lot of people use the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jar, but I don't always have a jar of that stuff on hand.  This recipe calls for only two ingredients!  Here is the recipe:

World's Easiest Fudge

Ingredients:

one bag of chocolate chips

one can of prepared frosting

Pour both into a microwavable bowl.  Heat in microwave in 30-second intervals.  Heat and stir until melted.  Pour into wax or foil-lined pan and cool.  

*Optional:  Mix in nuts, raisins, crumbled cookies, etc ... to kick things up!

(yummy fudge)

(my daughter showing off some of the fudge she made all by herself)

This fudge is really rich.  You don't need to eat a lot of it to satisfy a sweet tooth!

Now, for my card shown at the very top of this post:  I made a 4 x 4 note card to give with a package or tin of fudge.  I like doing these little notecards because you can keep them pretty simple.  The word "Christmas" on the front is actually a sticker that I matted.  I added some ribbon, twine, and a dimensional sticker.  The green polka dot paper is actually much brighter IRL.  I wish it photographed better!  *sigh*  All in all, making this card was pretty easy and quick.  One tip I'd like to pass on is that matting really helps to add pizzazz to a card!

Well, I hope you try out -- and enjoy -- this recipe!  If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in a comment along with an email address so I can contact you.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please be sure to visit Theresa's blog next to see what she has to share with you!  

Below is the complete lineup should you get lost. 

1. Dena J - http://missdjones.blogspot.com

2. Theresa Thescrapbookingqueen: http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com 

3. Lynda B-J: http://memoriesintyme.blogspot.com/ 

4. Jearise H: http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/ 

5. Linda T:  http://www.lindascreativity.blogspot.com 

6. April N: http://curlsandgrins.blogspot.com 

7. Susan B: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/

8. Tami McD: http://tamboscreations.blogspot.com/

9. Melissa Haereiti: http://timeweavers.wordpress.com

Christmas Faith Songs Blog Hop: "The First Noel"

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Hello, Bloggers!

Welcome to my blog! You should have just come from Kari's blog.  She is the host of the Christmas Faith Songs Blog Hop.  Today, we are worshipping the King and the reason for the season! We are doing that by highlighting our favorite Christmas songs along with a project we've created.

Our "gift" to you today is really just the gift of fellowship and testimony by way of today's blog hop.  BUT, there are some other goodies to be had!  To be eligible, you must comment on each of the blogs in this hop.  It would be nice if you would become a follower of each blog as well, but it is NOT a requirement to be eligible for the prize.  Kari will select a winner using random.org.

*Be sure to leave your email address in your comments so you can be contacted should you win.  If there is no way to contact you, another name will be drawn for the prize!

We would like to thank Jillian Vance for sponsoring the blog hop candy. Check out this beautiful stamp set that the lucky winner will get! I'm thinking I'm going to have to order a set for myself!  LOL! The winner will also get a set of pins.

  Please be sure to check out her site !  

Now, on to my project:

I selected the song "The First Noel".  Here is the first verse:

The first Noel the angel did say 
Was to certain poor shepards in fields as they lay: 
In fields where they lay a keeping their sheep 
On a cold winter's night that was so deep. 
Noel Noel Noel Noel Born is the King of Israel. 

This song speaks to me because it tells the story of the birth of our one and only savior, Jesus Christ.   What an amazing thing it would have been to have been present the night the King of Israel was born!  Now, we can only imagine what it would have been like, but for those of us that are parents, we can bear witness to the next best thing :  the birth of our own children.  

As a mother to two beautiful daughters, I know firsthand what a beautiful thing it is to bring a child into this world.  I have a 15-year-old daughter named Mikayla and, in September of 2010, I gave birth to another daughter -- a beautiful girl that we named Madison.  Sometimes, I find myself wondering who these girls will be one day.  What does God have in store for them?  What is His plan for them?  How can they serve the Lord?  All I can do is pray that God grants me the wisdom to raise them and guide them in the direction He has planned for them.  

For today's project, I did a digital layout focusing on my baby, Madison.  I used a digital kit by one of my favorite designers, Kristin Aagard.  Now, I've only just recently found out about her, but I am completely in love with her designs!

The layout features pictures of my fiance' and I with Madison the day we took her home from the hospital.  You can see our precious baby bundled up and wearing her pink cap.  *SMILE*  The journaling reads :

On September 3, 2010, the Lord 

blessed us with a beautiful

daughter.  Our lives changed

drastically from that day on, but

we wouldn't change anything for 

the world.  She is truly a gift

from God, and we thank Him

every day for our sweet baby

'Anela.

Now, if you're wondering about the last word in my journaling ('Anela), it is a Hawaiian name pronounced ah-ne-luh and means ANGEL.  It is one of Madison's middle names.  Yes, ONE of them.  LOL  She has three which is kind of a tradition in our family.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit!  I read every comment and appreciate every single one!  If you have any questions, please be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you.

Don't forget that you need to comment on all the blogs in the hop in order to be eligible to win.  Please hop on over to Carolyn's blog next!  Below is the complete lineup should you get lost along the way.  Thanks again and have a blessed day.  Merry Christmas! =)

1. Kari - http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/ "Mary Did You Know"

2. Dena - http://missdjones.blogspot.com/  "The First Noel"

3. Carolyn - http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/ and my sons is "Hark the Herals Angels Sing"

4. Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/ and my song is "Ihr Kinderlein Kommet"

5. Zenita - http://www.scrappinwithz.blogspot.com  and my song is "Silent Night"

6. Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ "Joy to the World"

7. Jen Y - http://www.expressivelyme.blogspot.com  and my song choice is "O Holy Night" :)

8. Tina- http://craftyandgreen.blogspot.com  My song is Labor of Love

Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop: Weekend One

Welcome to Round One of the Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop!  There was so much response to the Christmas Cards & Cookies Blog Hop that it had to be split between two weekends. This is Round One and begins Saturday, Dec. 3rd, continuing through Sunday, Dec. 4th. Round Two will be held next weekend. We have a talented group of women who love papercrafting and baking. Each of them is sharing a recipe for a yummy Christmas treat along with a Christmas card or tag. Hopefully, you’ll pick up some great ideas for your own Christmas gift giving this season. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy!

I made a Christmas card using some super cute Doodlebug paper!  The snowman is from a diecut swap I was in last year.  I made this diecut with a Sizzix die.  It's one of my faves!  I filled in the hearts with red stickles and used a white puffy paint pen for the white wavy accents on the arms and legs.  The scarf was some fancy ribbon I had in my stash.  The scarf and ribbon are actually red IRL (in real life).  Unfortunately, the colors don't show up so well here.  Last, I added faux stitching with a pen.  I made a few of these last year and kept them to use this year.  So glad that I did!

Now, for my recipe:

ROLO COOKIES

Ingredients: 

1 box devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 c oil

Rolo candies

Mix the first 3 ingredients.  Take a small portion, just enough to wrap around a Rolo candy.  Shape into a ball.  Bake at 350 degrees on greased cookie sheet for approximately 7-9 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar (optional).

That's it!  Easy peasy!  These are always a crowd pleaser.  The caramel gets nice and gooey when the cookies are fresh out of the oven.  YUM!  If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment with your email address, and I'll get back to you.  Don't forget to return next week for Round Two of the Christmas Cards and Cookies Blog Hop.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit Robin's blog next to see what she has to share with you!

Below is the complete blog hop lineup:  

1) Dena : http://missdjones.blogspot.com/

2) Robin : http://scrapandchat.blogspot.com/

3) Janet N: http://createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/

4) Carla: http://racincrafts.blogspot.com/

5) Zenita: http://www.scrappinwithz.blogspot.com

6) Jennifer: http://www.craftycardgallery.blogspot.com/

7) Kari: http://purplefuntasticcreations.blogspot.com/

8) Susan: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/

9) JulieK: http://jk-littlebitofbling.blogspot.com/

10) Ellen ♥ CardMonkey: http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com

11) Kerri: http://crafttimeandcupcakes.blogspot.com/

12) Janet S: http://www.ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/

13) Carol: http://huffandpuffscrap.blogspot.com/

14) Christina http://cema1cema.blogspot.com/

15) Staci McD http://preciousmem.blogspot.com/

16) Pam http://pammejo-scrapbookflair.blogspot.com/

17) Maria http://marlm-creativebydesign.blogspot.com/

18) Nicolette- www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com