On the 12th Day of Christmas Creativity...

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!!! It's Chris's turn to host the very last day of the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity!

Hailey asked me if we were going to open presents tomorrow morning.  She  was so bummed she would have to wait another day.  I fear this will finally be the year that my kidlets will have a hard time sleeping.  They are sooooo ridiculously excited!

I still have tons to do, so I'm attempting to keep this short.  I've had all kinds of preparations for this blog post this morning and I'm hoping to go have lunch with hubby!

First up!  The 12 Days of Christmas Tags Collection is up in the store!  Before you run off to buy it, make sure you check to see if you won it, below!

I've got something special for you if you do want to purchase the set.  It's a fantastically special price!  

First, the regular price of the whole giant set is over 30% off the individual file price.  I know, you already got 4 of the twelve, so you don't want to buy the whole set.  Let's see, you have 1/3 of the set, so I should give you 1/3 off, right?  I think you need more though, how about 50% off the set! That's a massive savings over the individual file price!  

And really, it wouldn't be Christmas without presents, right?  So, I have another present for you! Buy the set, and get my newest card design, Super Quick Card - Peace Dove absolutely FREE! Just in time to make some for you last minute Christmas letters!

Here's what you'll need to do.  First put both items in your cart.  You'll notice that the card design will show up for free!  Yippee!  Then scroll down and put this coupon code JB12DAYS in the coupon code box (you need to be logged into the store for this to work).  You'll see a discount of $12.50 just above your total!  Sweet!

This special deal is good through December 31st.  Party on!

Here are some quick links for you:

Buy this:



Get this free:



Coupon Code: JB12DAYS for 50% savings!

The Winners!

Okay, are you ready for some drawing winners???

Prize: the 12 Days of Christmas Tag Set

Winners: Kelly S, Denise Foor, Esther W-B

Prize: $10 Sam & Hailey Designs Gift Code

Winner: Sandra from NC

Prize: $10 Michaels Gift Card

Winner: Anna Dowdy

Prize: the December VDBC Grab Bag

Pam in SD

I don't have the coupon codes quite ready for you all yet, but I will this afternoon.  Anna, I'll need your mailing address. Congratulations to all the winners!

I hope you all have a very very Merry Christmas and a Happy and especially Prosperous New Year!!!!  Thanks for joining us on this fun 12 Days of Christmas Creativity blog-fest!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 11th Day of Christmas Creativity...

Phew!!!  Are we almost there yet?  It's been a fun two weeks counting down the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity with you.  Today is Ileana's turn to host, so be sure to head over there and give her some love!

Today I'm thinking about stockings.  When I was a kid I had this cute felt stocking my Aunt Shelba made for me.  It had santa on it and my name.  I still have it!  We always got an orange in the toe of our stocking, then it was filled part way up with nuts, then some candy.  I recall we always had that hard ribbon candy.  I wonder if you can even get that anymore?  I haven't looked because it wasn't really my favorite.  I doubt that it was in our stockings... too sticky!  When I got married, I picked up my hubby's family stocking traditions.  Among those are to always get a new toothbrush in your stocking.  That still strikes me as a little funny, but I go with it!  Gotta have the marshmallow santa in there, too.  As long as there are Reese's Peanut Butter Trees in there, hubby will be happy, so we're always good.

Speaking of stockings, this year I had this great idea {usually words that cause hubby alarm}.  I wanted to make new stockings for my girls.  My idea was to use my KNK Maxx to cut fabric for appliques.  Sounds great, right?  It actually was great!

They aren't quite done, but I have high hopes for getting them completed by Christmas Eve.  It's the hand stitching that's taking me so long.  Once I get that completed, I can sew them up!

The girls are excited about their new stockings.  I had a hard time deciding what to put on them.  They both wanted something like a princess on it.  Christmas Princesses? What is this, A Very Disney Christmas?  I was trying to convince them that they wanted birds instead of princesses. After all, there are a lot of bird related themes... think 12 Days of Christmas!  Tons of birds there! So, we were looking through my new 12 Days of Christmas Tags and of course, they both wanted the Nine Ladies Dancing design.  I decided that nine  was a lot of ladies to be trouping around on a stocking and settled on three.  I think they have turned out very cute so far.  Here's what I did to cut the fabric.

Cutting Fabric Appliques on the KNK Maxx with the Fabric Blade

Materials:
Cotton quilting weight fabric
Wonder Under
Very sticky cutting mat
Fabric Blade

1. Iron your fabric nice and smooth.
2. Iron Wonder Under or other transfer material to the back side of your fabric.  Do not peel off the paper backing.
3. Place fabric, paper side down, on a very sticky mat.  {I used a brand new Cricut Mat}
4. Cut on a slow speed {100-200} with a pressure of 110-120.
5. Peel paper backing off and iron according to manufacturers instructions.

If you are cutting quite a few different materials, as you go along, your mat will begin to get less sticky.  I found I was able to successfully cut with the fabric side down and mirrored my image. I'm really impressed with the fine details I was able to cut!

Only one more day to enter my drawings!!!!!  Here are all the details:

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with your family stocking traditions!  What goes in them, where do you hang them, etc.?

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Oh, before you go, here are the last two 12 Days of Christmas Tags!  They'll be up in the store later today, and I'll have a great deal on them for you this weekend!!!

And here's the whole collection together!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 10th Day of Christmas Creativity...

Yay!  It's time for me to host the 10th Day of Christmas Creativity!  Woo Hoo!

This has been so much fun!  I'm glad I still have two more days to post, even if it's not hosting. Don't forget to read about the giveaways at the bottom of this post.

It's just a few days away from Christmas.  I'm feeling a little bit sad that some of our family is so far away.  Okay, not just a little bit.  I'm really hoping that one day we'll be able to spend Christmas with everyone together.  Thank goodness for Skype and Facetime or we would feel really disconnected from our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in Connecticut.  We will hopefully be able to do some visiting with our own parents over the holidays, though, so at least we will see some of our extended family.  I'm looking for some ideas to draw us together over the long distances. If you have any, keep them in mind, I'll be asking you about them later on in this post!

Today I've got my last freebie for you!  It's tag #10 in the 12 Days of Christmas Tags series. Hopefully you've picked up the other three I've given away so far.  If you want the whole set, be sure to enter the drawings. I'll also be offering these for sale for a super good price at the end of the week, too.  I might even come up with a challenge or two to go along with them.

It was a challenge to figure out how to fit ten lords leaping around on one little tag.  This is my solution! The concept works on a lot of the other bigger number tags, too.  Can't have you cutting a billing tiny lords and accessories out and then trying to figure out how to assemble them!

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

SORRY!  This download has expired.  Please look for it in the Sam & Hailey Designs Store!

Okay, remember those drawings I mentioned?  Here's how to enter!

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with an idea for connecting extended families who are far away at the holidays.  This could be any idea for grandparents, grandchildren, deployed military family members, college students, missionaries, etc.

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Oh, if you want a sneek peak at the tags included in the whole 12 Days of Christmas Tags set, here are a few more!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 9th Day of Christmas Creativity...

It's the 9th Day of Christmas Creativity, and that means it's Chris's turn to host.  It's also the 2nd Day of Christmas Vacation, an that means I'm slowly losing my sanity.  Just kidding!  I love having my kids home, when they aren't fighting or demanding to be entertained.  On the positive side, they got their own lunch today.  On the negative side, it was grapes, goldfish and rice krispie treats. Grapes are good for lunch, right?

I'm trying to get all my Christmas projects done and I have another one to share with you today. This one is surprisingly quick and easy, even though it involves spray paint.  Come to think of it, it involves three of my favorite things, spray paint, pretty paper, and Mod Podge.  I thought you might enjoy this one, too.

Shhh... don't tell, but I'm attempting to make sets of these to give as gifts.  If you get a set, please act surprised.

Today's project is... Clothes Pin Gift Tags

Materials:
Wooden Clothes Pins
Spray Paint
Patterned Paper
Mod Podge
Permanent Marker

Directions:

1. Spray paint the wooden clothes pins.  I recommend using a quick drying paint.  I used a Krylon metallic silver.  Allow to dry completely, then turn over and spary the other side.

2. Cut strips of paper to fit the tops of the clothes pins.  Mod Podge them onto the clothes pins.  Allow to dry.  This step is optional!  You could just paint and write the names on them.

3. With the permanent marker, write To and From and names on the paper.  See one I left without paper.  I think it looks cool, too.

 4. Clip them onto the ribbon around a gift.

I hope you've enjoyed my little tutorial!  Here's another portable version for you.  Click it to open it large and then save it.

Be sure to check back tomorrow!  It's my last day to host the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity!

Oh and don't forget about my giveaways!. Be sure and enter by commenting on each day!

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with your favorite Christmas-time activity to do with kids.  I need some ideas of what to do with these munchkins all week!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 8th Day of Christmas Creativity...

'Twas the last Monday before Christmas
and all through the house
crazy people were running around saying,
"Only 6 days, till Christmas! What the CRAP?!?!"

Okay, maybe only one crazy person... named Jan.

It's the 8th Day of Christmas Creativity!  Today is Ileana's turn to host again.  I hope you've been enjoying her fun trivial questions!

For my part today, I've got a relatively quick and creative gift idea.  It looks pretty involved, but actually didn't take that much time at all!  I found a tutorial for it on Chic & Cheap Nursery.  I modified it a little bit for my kids to use as gifts for their teachers.

Crayon Monograms

I'm not doing a full blown tutorial here.  Mainly because I was really pressed for time to get these done for the last day of school before winter break.  I didn't take the time to take step-by-step pictures as I went a long.  Here's what I did in a nutshell:

1. I used a "floating frame" which is two panes of glass together with no back.
2. I printed out my letter as big as I could and taped it behind the glass.
3. I used super glue to glue the crayons on to the front of the glass, following the printed letter as best I could.
4. I cut the crayons using a sharp knife.  I held the knife over a candle before I cut the crayons.  I also rolled the crayon under the blade of the knife to cut through the paper before I cut all the way through. This resulted in a nice clean cut through the paper and the crayon.
5. I printed the sentiment on some nice cardstock, matted it, and the mounted it between the two panes of glass.

Done!  The whole project took me about 90 minutes. The frames were 11"x14".  I used a box of 96 crayons and got two monograms out of it by using the cut-in-half crayons on both projects.

Before you run off to try this, be sure to enter my 12 Day of Christmas Creativity drawings! In case you missed it yesterday, I've decided to give away more copies of my complete set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags. Be sure and enter by commenting on each day!

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with either an idea for a teacher gift to make or a last minute gift to make.

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 7th Day of Christmas Creativity...

Iit's my turn to host the 7th Day of Christmas Creativity!  Woo Hoo!

Well, now, it's exactly one week until Christmas!  So exciting!  I really love this time of year.  I know, I know, I complain that Christmas is coming too fast.  And in a way, the really complaint is that I wish the holiday season lasted longer.  Why do I take on so much? Why do I think I have to do so much?  I wish I could just relax and enjoy the season.  Does this happen to you, too?

I need to find some way to bring myself back to what's really important.  Oh right, remember what I said on the 1st Day of Christmas Creativity?  Service!  Time to get out and do some more service.  That will bring me back to reality.  Then I'll realize that all that stuff I thought was so super important really isn't and that it's okay to let a few things go.

I know, I know, what you are really here for is the next tag in the set.  Are you excited to see some swans a-swimming?  I love swans. The look so serene swimming on a beautiful lake.  Let me tell you though, they aren't very nice.  Not to be negative or anything.  Ever come upon one? I have, and these things are big and don't like people near their nests or babies!  I prefer to enjoy from afar, thank you very much!

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This design will only be up for today, so be sure to grab it while you are here! Click to download your favorite file type.  Remember to click and not to right click!  You need to go to the download page or you won't actually get the zip file!

SORRY!  This download has expired.  Please look for it in the Sam & Hailey Designs Store!

Before you go be sure to enter my 12 Day of Christmas Creativity drawings! In case you missed it the other day, I've decided to give away more copies of my complete set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags. Be sure and enter by commenting on each day!

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with something you do to try to remember the true meaning of Christmas. I need all the ideas I can get!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 6th Day of Christmas Creativity...

It's the 6th day, all right, I checked.  Half-way through?  Really?  Sure is going by fast, isn't it? Today it's Chris's turn to host the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity.  Tomorrow it will be my turn to host, so be sure to come back for a freebie!

Today I've got a project to share with you.  I know, normally I post projects on Wednesdays but I didn't get this one done in time for Wednesday.  I didn't think you'd mind too much. I've got a tutorial for it, too!

Today's project is... All-Occasion Countdown Blocks!

I've seen a lot of countdown blocks for Christmas and I think they are awesome!  I wanted to make some, but I didn't want to just limit them to Christmas.  After all that work, why put them away for most of the year!  These are All-Occasion Countdown Blocks.  I made them black and white so there wouldn't be any particular event or holiday associated with the color scheme.  I added the words "Day's until..." on the base block.  Then I glued a small $1 drawer pull from the hardware store next to it.  A tag with the word Christmas is hung it from the drawer pull!  Easy and cute.  Plus it uses Mod Podge which I'm slightly addicted to.

I'm seeing countdowns to birthdays, summer vacation, other holidays, visits from Grandma, etc. in our future!

All-Occasion Countdown Blocks

Materials:
2 - 2" Wooden Cubes
1 - 2"x4"x1" Wooden Block
Paint
Mod Podge
Patterned Paper
Die cut letters and numbers or stickers

Directions:
1. First, paint your blocks.  If you want, you can just paint the outside edges of the cubes.  The paper is going to cover the rest, so you can save some paint.  The base piece will need to be painted all over.

2. Cut squares of paper to fit just inside each side of your cubes.
3. Mod Podge the paper on to each side.

4. Glue the numbers onto the cubes.  Here's how you'll want each cube to be set up:
One cube will have the following numbers on it:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
The other cube will have these numbers on it:
0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8
Note: Make sure your number 6 can double as a 9 when it's turned upside down.

5. Glue your letters on the front side of the base.
6. Finish off all the blocks with a thin coat of Mod Podge.

7. Glue a small drawer pull on next to the letters on the base.

8. Create tags to hang off the drawer pull for your favorite holidays, events, birthdays, etc.

One of these days I'll get a cutting file finished up for the whole set and post it in the store. Wait... Did someone say EIGHT days until Christmas?  Aaaaaaaahhhh!  Must get back to work now!

Here's a portable version of this tutorial for you.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Don't go yet!  There's still a chance to win free stuff!  I've decided to give away more copies of my complete set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags. Be sure and enter by commenting on each day!

Here are the prizes:

1) Three Prizes: The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four six drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with an idea of how to countdown to Christmas Day! It can be something you do each year or just something you've seen.

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Check back tomorrow to see what we have in store for you on the 7th day.  I'm hosting and it will be right here!  And yes, you'll definitely be able to download some swans a-swimming!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 5th Day of Christmas Creativity...

How-de-do, friends!  Are you enjoying our 12 Days of Christmas Creativity?  Sure hope so.  I know I am!

Today it's Ileana's turn to host.  Be sure to head over there and give her some love!

I've been thinking about holiday traditions lately.  We have a few, but over the years it seems they've evolved.  We have two generations of kids and some things have carried over from the older generation to the younger.  For example, we like to have a family shopping day where we all go to the stores, split up and shop for each other.  The challenge is to hide your purchases from the person you are buying for... without being charged with shoplifting or something.

My parents have a tradition that we have carried over to our marriage.  Their first Christmas together as a married couple they bought (or received as a gift, not sure) a pair of stuffed animal puppies with Christmas hats on.  Every year they go under the tree (even today) and keep watch over the presents.  I loved those Christmas Puppies when I was a kid.  It made me feel so connected to the past.  Victor and I also have a pair of Christmas Puppies that go under our tree. I think they were from Hallmark. They have little magnets in their noses that make them kiss. Awwwwwww.... Whenever I see them, I think of my parents and the Christmases of my childhood.  In our house, the doggies have to hang out up on the tree with the ornaments.  That way they don't get eaten by our actual dog, AKA The Christmas Bandit.

One last tradition to share with you.  Every year for the past several years, I make tons and tons of baked goodies.  We make up plates and take them around to people we love or people we think need a lift.  The kids love doing it and so do we!

Today, I have another awesome Christmas cookie recipe for you.  Thumbprint cookies have got to be my hands-down favorite Christmas cookie of all time... ever.  Here's my recipe.

Jam and Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Makes: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
4 oz. (1/2 of an regular size package) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
Seedless jam or jelly

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together.
3. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add salt and flour and mix well.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Form 1/2 inch indentations in the balls with the back of a small round measuring spoon or end of a wooden spoon.
8. Fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp of jam or jelly.
9. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until sides are just set.  Don't allow to brown.
10.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on a wire rack.

These don't stick around very long, I'll promise you that!  I made a bunch to give away last weekend and my family was so mad they couldn't have any.  I had to make a double batch on Monday to make up for it!

Hey, don't go yet! We've got prizes, remember? Here are the details:

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment and tell us one of your family's holiday traditions!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 4th Day of Christmas Creativity...

It's the 4th Day of our 12 Days of Christmas Creativity blog-fest!  Yay!  That means it's my turn to host again!

Before I share a freebie with you today, I want to talk about Christmas Music.  One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the wealth of beautiful music available to celebrate the season.  If I had to pick a favorite song, I don't think I could!  For many years, when we lived in Connecticut, I sang in a concert choir.  It was one of my favorite parts of celebrating Christmas.  I really miss it so much.  I think we need to start one here in Arizona!  Through that experience I really fell in love with choral music.

I was thinking about the song the 12 Days of Christmas which is fun but also very, very long.  We like to do sing-a-longs at our house during December.  This one is generally not my favorite just because it seems so endless.  Once at a Christmas party we did something fun with this song, though, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Here's what you do.  You need a good amount of people at your party to do this.  Divide everyone up into 12 groups and give them each one of the 12 Days.  Each group sings their line when the times comes in the song.  Some people are very serious but others will really get into it and do crazy things for their line.  It makes the song so fun and no one seems to mind that it's super duper long when you are cracking up the whole way through it.  Make sure you give your wackier groups the lower numbers since you'll get to hear them more often than the higher ones.  Have fun at your next Christmas party with it!

On to the freebie!  It's the 4th Day of Christmas, so of course I'm going to share with you my Four Calling Birds Tag!  I was struck by how many bird related items are in this song.  Kind of funny, isn't it?  Good thing I can think of lots of different ways to draw birds.

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This design will only be up for today, so be sure to grab it while you are here! Click to download your favorite file type:

SORRY!  This download has expired.  Please look for it in the Sam & Hailey Designs Store!

Want a little peek at the other days?  Here are Two Turtle Doves and Three French Hens.  These will be in the whole set you can win! See below for details.

Want em?  Here's how you can win them!

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with your favorite Christmas song (if you can possibly pick one)!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Check back tomorrow to see what we have in store for you on the 5th day!  Ileana will be hosting, and I know it will be fun!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 3rd Day of Christmas Creativity...

Happy 3rd Day of Christmas Creativity!  Today is Chris's turn to host.  I know she has something awesome over there for you.  Be sure to check it out!

Today I have a quickity-quick holiday idea for you.  Remember my Subway Art on a Shutter project I made for Thanksgiving?  I didn't want to put it away after all that work.  So, I turned it around and... instant Christmas Card Display!  I could put a little Christmas sentiment on it, but I kind of like it plain so the cards really stand out.

Okay, so want to win some stuff? Here's a recap in case you forgot:

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment and tell us how you like to display the holiday cards you get each year.  Then what do you do with them afterwards?

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity...

It's Ileana's day to host the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity over at her blog, I Scrap Designs.  Be sure to head on over there and give her some love today!

My thoughts on the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity are.... "What did you say????  Less than two weeks until Christmas?  What the heck?!?!"

Oh sorry, I was supposed to say something serene like, "I hope you are having a most blessed and merry Christmas!"  Right?  Sorry!  Well... I hope you are having a most blessed and merry Christmas, but seriously???  Less than two weeks???

Time to get some holiday baking done.  We always like to take plates of treats around to our friends and neighbors the weekend before Christmas.  The girls really look forward to it. Samantha is now old enough to help with the baking, which is fun.  And by help, I mean stand next to me and ask, "Can I do that?" for every step.  It's sooooo hard for me to give up control but I want her to learn to do things, too.

On some of the days I'm not hosting the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Christmas treats recipes!  I hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do.

Today I'm sharing my recipe for Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies.  These are frighteningly addictive so watch out. Normally, I prefer a soft chewy cookie over a crunchy one, but I make an exception for these.  I didn't tell Samantha the name of these, I promise, but when she and Hailey were taste testing the first batch out of the oven, she turned to Hailey and said, "Wow! These just melt in your mouth, don't they?"  And they do, they really do.  Give them a try!

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
Makes: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and 2 cups sugar.

3. Beat in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. 

4. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.

5. Mix in flour.
6. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip tops in sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are just set. Do not let the edges brown. 

8. Cool cookies for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Remove cookies from sheet and cool on a wire rack.

You can store these in an airtight container for a few days on your counter. If you need to store them longer, just put them in layers between waxed paper and freeze.

I made the ones pictured above dipped in colored sugar.  I actually prefer them with sparkly white sugar, but the girls are always after color, so that's what we did.

Hope this recipe helps you decide to get creative in the kitchen!

Remember that I said you would have a chance to enter to win my prizes every day?  In case you forgot what the prizes were, here's a recap.

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that! 

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment and tell us your favorite holiday treat! Share the recipe (or a link to the recipe) if you feel so inclined!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 1st Day of Christmas Creativity...

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity!  Chris from Visual Designs by Chris, Ileana from I Scrap Designs, and I have teamed up to take turns hosting fun activities, giveaways, and holiday tips for the next 12 days!  I hope you'll have fun joining us.

I have the honor of hosting the first day, but don't forget to check out the other's blogs today, there might be some hidden gems and/or surprises on their blogs today, too!

First, I want to share a freebie with you today.  Then I want to tell you how you can win some fun prizes from yours truly so don't leave before you read about that.

We are always looking for ways to keep Christ in Christmas around our house.  I find that giving service to someone else instantly reminds me of what Christmas is supposed to be all about. Here's an idea you might try. Find a family or individual that you think needs a little holiday lift and do a 12 Days of Christmas service project for them.  If you want to do the 12 days before Christmas, you'd want to start tomorrow (the 13th) to end on Christmas Eve.  You could prepare a different treat to leave on their doorstep each day or find other simple acts of service to do like shoveling snow or washing cars.  Do it anonymously if you can!

Here's a little freebie to get you started with this project.  It's the first tag in a series of 12 Days of Christmas Tags I'm working on right now!  On each of my days to host, I'll be giving one of these tags away as a freebie.  Stay tuned for how you can win the whole set of tags!

I tried to take a modern twist on this classic Christmas tune.  I hope you like it!  Even if you don't use the number one on the tag, it would make a cute tag all on its own.

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This design will only be up for today, so be sure to grab it while you are here! Click to download your favorite file type:

SORRY!  This download has expired!  You can still enter the drawings (see below) through December 22nd!

Okie dokie, now you've gotten your freebie for the day, are you ready to hear about the prizes you could win from me?

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment with an idea for an act of service or kindness you could do (or have done) for someone else at Christmastime!  

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Have a fun 1st Day of Christmas! Be sure to hop over the Chris's and Ileana's blogs to see what they have going on today!

Time to get crafty, people!

Project Wednesday: Frame-able Cards

Yes! I'm still here! Like I mentioned last week... it's run-around-like-a-chicken-with-your-head-cut-off-season. Also known as the Christmas Season. Soooo.... much to get done. My goal this week is to get all my projects finished up before Friday so my wonderful hubby and mail them out to the four corners of the earth. I think for the past few years he has had to ship things out overnight. A pricey procrastinator... that's me! So, all regularly scheduled blog posts may or may not happen for the rest of the month. Just letting you know up front!

Today I have a really cute project for you! I'm excited to share it. It's also my opportunity to guest-post on the Card-A-Day Blog. Be sure to hop over there to see what this month's challenge is. You could win something fabulous! Plus, it's just an all around great place to get some inspiration.

Today's project is... Frame-able Cards

I love making handmade cards. One year I made dozens of different designs and mailed them to all my friends and family. Then I cried when I mailed them, knowing that 99% of them would be thrown out and the other 1% would probably end up with the dust bunnies under someone's sofa. As I was contemplating the card I had planned to make today, I decided I couldn't allow this to happen to this one! Why not make it a jumbo card that could be framed as a piece of holiday decor?

I started by creating this cute digital stamp of my daughter Samantha. {Sadly I realized as I was coloring it that I'd left off her trademark freckles but oh well, what's done is done.} I love this sweet pose and serene expression. It needed a little something Christmasy so I added the present on her lap. As I was drawing it, the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music kept running through my head. And... suddenly... a sentiment was born! This is an awesome grandparent card, in my opinion... who wouldn't love to hear that they are one of your favorite things!

After I colored it with my Copic Markers. {Don't look that close, I'm not that great at it.} I framed it out with some pretty Christmas scrapbook paper. The finished size is 8"x10" so it would fit nicely in a frame! I didn't make it into a traditional card, I'll just write a note on the back {or more likely have my girls write a note}. I love the idea of making something to display and keep rather than something I know will likely be tossed away.

Since I don't think I'll be getting another Freebie up this Friday, I thought I'd share this Digi Stamp with you! I hope you will get some use out of it. This design includes the stamp with and without the sentiment, plus a separate stamp of the little present so you can layer it. There are also cutting lines for the girl and the present so you can do a print and cut on your digital die-cut machine!

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This design will only be up for a limited time, so be sure to grab it while you are here! Click to download your favorite file type:

SORRY!  This download has expired.  Look for it soon in the Sam & Hailey Designs Store!

Time to get crafty, people!

December Grab Bag with Bonus Digi Stamp!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry for not posting much this week or last.  It's that time of year.  And by that time of year, I mean when I run around flitting from thing to thing, from project to project, but never actually getting anything done.  Yes, it's December folks.  And all I can say is, "What the heck?"

I wanted to pop on here really quick and let you know that I'm in the VDBC Grab Bag again! Yup, the December VDBC Grab Bag is up and ready!  Some super cute things this month.

There is a super cute bonus if you buy in the first week.  Becky from Articrafts has created a digital stamp to go along with her Santa Pants file.  It's hilarious, I know you'll love it!  It a cute tag that reads, "We looked for a stocking, but we couldn't find a spare. So we ended up stuffing Santa's red underwear."  So, if you want it, you'll need to grab up the Grab Bag this week!

Here's a closer look at the three designs included from Yours Truly:

Time to get crafty, people!