I am working this morning so I'd like to spread some Christmas cheer! Here's a Christmas gift for you! I found this blog, Digital Doodling, and it has some of the greatest freebies I've seen in a long time! So, head on over to the blog and check out some of her great doodles and layouts.
Have a Merry Christmas and I'll post again next year!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sometimes, store-bought actually means more
(This is an old post that I forgot to release, you may now enjoy the sweetness of it for the holidays! It's from November 15, 2009)
He's not here and he doesn't read my blog. I guess it's now safe to talk about my hubby. :) The other day, Friday to be exact, I was pleasantly surprised by my husband...and a pizza. I'm sure you want to know the story, and why I think store bought cards can mean more than handmade.
My guy's not the kind of rare crafty guy you might find at a scrap expo but rather, the rare door-holding type that you might find in Montana. He is a sweet, nerdy guy who married me for "all the right reasons" and I reciprocated. Still, no matter how happy you are in a marriage, it's the occasional sweet gestures that are remembered.
As you know, Friday was "Friday the 13th" and my Friday actually ended up being more like the "Monday from Hell!" Alas, I'm not here to complain. As I went into hour 3 of my 7 hour work shift I decided that, instead of having meal 13 of lasagna, we would order pizza from a local pizza place. So, I ordered the pizza and asked the hubby to pick it up and we would eat together at my workplace.
He picked up the pizza, and I was hoping that he was surprised by the breadsticks that I had ordered for him. I knew that I was being a real pill to be married to so I ordered the breadsticks as a treat for him.
Nearly an hour after I placed our order, he showed up at work. I opened up the breadsticks and handed him one. Keep in mind, I was pretty grouchy. (Stressed from school, work, and the job interview I was about to fly to Seattle for.) The hubby made a comment that the breadsticks were cold and that he hoped that the pizza was still warm. I'm now glaring at him. I thought to myself "you could have been quicker" and "they aren't really cold, whiner. Like I said, I was grouchy.
I opened the pizza box to find a piece of cardboard laying across my pizza. (Yes, that was what I noticed first!) A second look gave more information -- the cardboard across my pizza was protecting the rose he had brought me and a store bought card. The card said that he loved me and wished me good luck on my interview. So sweet! It made my night and helped me through the anxiety of my interview. After I opened the pizza, he asked for the breadsticks back. He said that they really weren't cold, he just wanted to be in the room when I opened the pizza. :P I love you honey!
The flowers are long gone and so is the pizza but, it's now December 6 and, the card is still on display atop the entertainment stand. That's why store-bought sometimes means more than homemade. It really is the thought that counts. :)
He's not here and he doesn't read my blog. I guess it's now safe to talk about my hubby. :) The other day, Friday to be exact, I was pleasantly surprised by my husband...and a pizza. I'm sure you want to know the story, and why I think store bought cards can mean more than handmade.
My guy's not the kind of rare crafty guy you might find at a scrap expo but rather, the rare door-holding type that you might find in Montana. He is a sweet, nerdy guy who married me for "all the right reasons" and I reciprocated. Still, no matter how happy you are in a marriage, it's the occasional sweet gestures that are remembered.
As you know, Friday was "Friday the 13th" and my Friday actually ended up being more like the "Monday from Hell!" Alas, I'm not here to complain. As I went into hour 3 of my 7 hour work shift I decided that, instead of having meal 13 of lasagna, we would order pizza from a local pizza place. So, I ordered the pizza and asked the hubby to pick it up and we would eat together at my workplace.
He picked up the pizza, and I was hoping that he was surprised by the breadsticks that I had ordered for him. I knew that I was being a real pill to be married to so I ordered the breadsticks as a treat for him.
Nearly an hour after I placed our order, he showed up at work. I opened up the breadsticks and handed him one. Keep in mind, I was pretty grouchy. (Stressed from school, work, and the job interview I was about to fly to Seattle for.) The hubby made a comment that the breadsticks were cold and that he hoped that the pizza was still warm. I'm now glaring at him. I thought to myself "you could have been quicker" and "they aren't really cold, whiner. Like I said, I was grouchy.
I opened the pizza box to find a piece of cardboard laying across my pizza. (Yes, that was what I noticed first!) A second look gave more information -- the cardboard across my pizza was protecting the rose he had brought me and a store bought card. The card said that he loved me and wished me good luck on my interview. So sweet! It made my night and helped me through the anxiety of my interview. After I opened the pizza, he asked for the breadsticks back. He said that they really weren't cold, he just wanted to be in the room when I opened the pizza. :P I love you honey!
The flowers are long gone and so is the pizza but, it's now December 6 and, the card is still on display atop the entertainment stand. That's why store-bought sometimes means more than homemade. It really is the thought that counts. :)
Fearless four card swap!
Here it is. My "card". Boy howdy, there's a lot on this beast! (Ok, for me, this is a lot of stuff on one piece of paper!)I, being the queen of thrift, only added things that I got at garage sales or on clearance. I also decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to try my hand at making a sheet card for someone.
Here's what I did...I used the fun glittery polka dotted paper on the top and bottom. the strip on the bottom is a bit wider, it's to help ground the card. Then I cut out two of the brown dots that were on the edge of the page, I used these, with the blue brads, to "attach" the ribbon that says "Thank you" on it. Because the ribbon was very light (in color and weight) I used the plain white ribbon I received to up the opacity of the ribbon. Otherwise, the blue paper made it too hard to see what was written on the ribbon. (I guess, since I was using the ribbon as my sentiment, it was important to be able to read it!)
I accented the back with some of the cut out glittery dots and the super cute metal flower I had been given. All of it was carefully designed with the pocket fold in mind! I popped the card into its new home and carefully attached more "thank you" ribbon to the front. I used a huge flower with a bright pink "dot" of a brad to hold/hide the ribbon's end. To seal the card I used a piece of double sided tape that I destickified with my finger. (I wanted it to hold the pocketfold shut, not permanently attach it to itself!) 
After all of that hard work, I defaced it by writing on the back and sent it to Laurie and Steve as a thank you card from the NY Marathon! Be sure to check out the other's crafty surprises!
December is my month to send out the supplies to the other girlies so I'm looking forward to what they do in their next swap posts!
My First Tuesday Morning Sketch
My first "challenge" card ever! I took a look at the Tuesday Morning Sketch last night and decided that I could do this one. I'm doing the Tuesday Morning Sketch because I'm not brave enough to actually be judged yet. My hubby thinks I'm awesome and so do my friends. I won't clue them into what others can do...at least not yet!
On to the card -- The base is a trillion pieces (ok, maybe just a lot) of winter themed 1" squares (cut from the Holiday Collection DCWV paper pad) arranged on point to look like a quilt. Over the top I placed a matching sheet of blue vellum. I used Making Memories superfine glitter on my snowflake and "it's a holiday party" stamps. I attached the two with vellum tape from 3M; the hero of all things sticky!
This is the front side of the 15 New Year's Eve party invitations that I will be sending out soon. Good thing it was fun!
Thanks for looking!
And now, I'm idiotically giddy!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's a COOKIE exchange!
Updated: 12/5/09 8:33 pm
Official Invitation:
It’s a cookie exchange and craft swap!
Date: December 20, 2009
Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Place: Debi Hall’s Holiday Cookie Shop - 4986 Helene, Butte
It’s cold out there! Who wants to run out to buy ingredients for all of those different types of cookies you need to make for Christmas? Not me! Here’s the deal: make a bunch of your favorite cookies, bring them to the exchange, and leave with a variety of cookies! (We’ll tell you how many to make by December 16.) Easy, no?
That’s only the beginning of the fun! We’ll also being doing some crafty “workshops” of sorts. Think of it as “stitch-n-bitch in teaching mode.” If you’d like, bring a holiday craft that’s quick, easy, and fun. (Or 2 out of 3 works! You know, fun and quick or quick and easy!) When you RSVP, tell me what the craft is, and what people will need to bring to do your craft. If you have enough projects to work on, bring something crafty with you! I’ll post all of the crafts on my blog, along with a supply list, by December 16.
Lots of love,
Stephanie
You must RSVP to be a part of the cookie exchange by December 15
To RSVP you can:
Call Stephanie at 406-498-5270
Email Stephanie at stephanie.gruss@gmail.com
Leave a comment on my blog at stephagruss.blogspot.com
- There’s a post about the cookie exchange,
I’ll update it with information regularly!
Official Invitation:
It’s a cookie exchange and craft swap!
Date: December 20, 2009
Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Place: Debi Hall’s Holiday Cookie Shop - 4986 Helene, Butte
It’s cold out there! Who wants to run out to buy ingredients for all of those different types of cookies you need to make for Christmas? Not me! Here’s the deal: make a bunch of your favorite cookies, bring them to the exchange, and leave with a variety of cookies! (We’ll tell you how many to make by December 16.) Easy, no?
That’s only the beginning of the fun! We’ll also being doing some crafty “workshops” of sorts. Think of it as “stitch-n-bitch in teaching mode.” If you’d like, bring a holiday craft that’s quick, easy, and fun. (Or 2 out of 3 works! You know, fun and quick or quick and easy!) When you RSVP, tell me what the craft is, and what people will need to bring to do your craft. If you have enough projects to work on, bring something crafty with you! I’ll post all of the crafts on my blog, along with a supply list, by December 16.
Lots of love,
Stephanie
You must RSVP to be a part of the cookie exchange by December 15
To RSVP you can:
Call Stephanie at 406-498-5270
Email Stephanie at stephanie.gruss@gmail.com
Leave a comment on my blog at stephagruss.blogspot.com
- There’s a post about the cookie exchange,
I’ll update it with information regularly!