Christmas Time, Family Time

~ Hi There ~ 

We are still in celebration mode here at our house thru the New Year. What a blessing my DH and daughter and family could get the time off from work. We always cherish this time together :)

Here are a few highlights from our Christmas and our yearly Christmas PJ photo shoot. This time we decided to have the beach as our back drop! It was awesome!

And here are a few more HANDMADE ORNAMENTS gifted to me by some of my VERY talented CRAFTY FRIENDS over the years! They hang on my tree every year!

Merry Christmas 2011

 ~Hi Everyone~

Are you having a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS so far?! I know I am, the family is ALL GATHERED ROUND and the festivities have been non stop! But I did have a moment to get away and post this "How To" Video on making some Holiday treats to share with your family, neighbors and friends. It's still not too late for some holiday giving so check it out.

A Few Of My Favorite Christmas Crafts

~ Hi Everyone ~

WOW! Only 4 more days til SANTA comes! Here are a few more of my FAVORITE crafts of the past that I LOVE displaying in my home!

Charger plate " A Child Is Born" vinyl home decor.

Lighted Glass Block Decor

 

Hand Painted Sled ( by me ) Decor

WEEK 25: Madeit Myself Monday, CHRISTMAS 2011

~ Hi Everyone ~

Continuing on with my "HAND MADE ORNAMENT" SHOW and TELL...Here is another one of my FAVORITES! It had MANY small pieces to cut out! My fingers got very close to that SCROLL SAW blade, but luckily I still have all my digits! LOL! 

And below is another FUN PROJECT. The letters were stenciled, but now with the CRICUT, it would be so much easier to cut the letters our of vinyl, don't you think!

Now it's time for our FINAL LINKING PARTY of 2011! 

YUP, do to all the festivities, we will resume MADE IT MYSELF MONDAYS on the 2nd MONDAY of JANUARY 2012!

So GO AHEAD and SHOW OFF your BEST PROJECTS of 2011, so we can end this year with a BANG!!!!

I'll still be sharing some "OLDIE BUT GOODIE PROJECTS" with you right up until the BALL FALLS in TIMES SQUARE! 
So stay tuned! 

And don't FORGET to stop on over at MY PINK STAMPER as ROBYN continues her FABULOUS 12 DAYS of CHRISTMAS!

Now unto our 

CHRISTMAS LINKING PARTY!

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON !!!! 

and CRAFT ON !!!!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.


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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!

Mr & Mrs Claus

~ Hi Everyone ~

Here is another blast from the past "Retro" Wood Tole Painted Set I made many moons ago! It's one of my favorites, and comes out every year to be displayed for the holidays! I was the "scroll saw queen" back then! LOL!!!

Dont forget to check out DAY 3 of MY PINK STAMPER'S  

12 DAYS of CHRISTMAS here!

There is some serious HO HO HOing going on there that you don't want to miss!

I LOVE SNOWMEN!

~Hi Everyone ~

I wanted to share one of the VERY FIRST CRAFTS I made back when wood cutting and tole painting was BIG! My Christmas tree is adorned with dozens of handmade ornaments like this one, and I'll be sharing them with you over the next two weeks until Christmas!

I was SOOO PROUD of myself when I finished this little guy, and it began my DEEP LOVE of all things SNOWMAN! Enjoy!!!

And DON'T FORGET to stop by My Pink Stamper's Blog. 

Her 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS begin today!!!

You won't want to MISS THE FUN!!!

Week 24: Made It Myself Monday

~Hi Friends~

Is everyone BUSY BUSY getting ready for the holidays? I know I am! I can't believe we have less than 2 weeks til SANTA arrives! My hubby and I just finished putting up the tree, decorating the house and hanging lights out front! 

And here's a

NATIVITY WALL HANGING QUILT 

I made that I'm getting ready to add a small hanging rod and get it up on my wall!

 Isn't it cute?! 

For the next few couple of weeks, I'll be sharing CHRISTMAS CRAFTS new & old that I've made and some made by my friends and gifted to me! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Especially CHRISTMAS CRAFTS! 

I BET you have LOTS of CHRISTMAS CRAFTING to share! So let's GET THIS LINKING PARTY STARTED!

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON !!!! 

and CRAFT ON !!!!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.



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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!

Week 23: Made It Myself Monday & There's No Place...

....Like a NEW CRAFT ROOM! 

~Hi FRIENDS~

I hope all of you had a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

I finally began to feel better, so my hubby, my son and I were able to travel up to Utah to enjoy some HAPPY FAMILY TIME with the rest of my kids and grandkids! It was great!

Upon my return, I discovered that my new CRAFT SPACE...I'm calling it the... " You Had Me At Craft Head Quarters"... or for short the "YHMAC HQ"... needed only a few tweaks before it was CRAFT READY...
!!!TADA...HERE IS MY NEW CRAFT/SEWING SPACE!!!

I LOVE IT! It's taken a while...but I am SO EXCITED to have it COMPLETED!!!

NOW unto TODAY's LINKING PARTY! 

I will be joining you soon and posting the fruits of my latest creative juices...as well as sharing some decor items I've been working on as I continue to make this new house a HOME! 

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY !!!! and CRAFT ON !!!!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.


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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!

Sick Day

~ Hi Friends ~

YUK! I have no choice but to "call in" and take a "sick day" from today's normally scheduled "Made It Myself Linking Party". I know, such a bummer :( 
Anyways,  I've been struggling with ... " let's call it...a woman's issue, discretion ap-pro-po here :).... for the better part of two weeks and last night and today, I'm just feeling really, really bad. Normally, when I'm feeling sick, I just press on and try my best to keep on going. But today, it's a "no go" !
I have no choice but to get into see a doctor. Mind you, I just moved to a new city, so I don't have a doc here yet. But a nice friend from church recommended someone, so I've spent the morning filling out "new patient forms". Luckily they had an afternoon appointment that are squeezing me into :)
Needless, to say this has slowed the progress of the craft room set up, but I figure if I get patched up in the next couple of days, I'll be up and running at normal speeds pretty soon :)
I have sooo many fun ideas running thru this crafty brain of mine, that I can't wait to create and share with you!
So just give me a bit of time to heal up and I'll be posting new projects from my new "You Had Me At Craft Head Quarters"  very soon!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

Week 22: Made It Myself Monday

Oops friends! I almost forgot to post todays 

LINKING PARTY, YIKES! 

 So sorry! I had family in town, and there's still SO MUCH BUSY WORK going on here!

But ANYWAYS, please enjoy the PARTY and LINK UP your lasted crafty creations!  

I hope you ENJOYED all the GUEST DESIGNER'S that have graced my humble blog the last few weeks! I SOOO APPRECIATE them taking the time to share their talents with you during my hiatus!

The new craft room is coming along nicely, yet I still have a few loose ends to organize before I can BREAK OUT my next CRAFT...but I do have some fun IDEAS up my sleeve!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY !!!! and CRAFT ON !!!!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.
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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!

Guest Designer Lala Palooza with Holly's Hobbie

Hi! It's Holly from Holly's Hobbie  and I am so excited and honored to be a guest designer today! Thank you so much Alex for choosing me!

At first when I was chosen I was so excited but then I realized that I had to make something fantastic so I got a little worried! Now that I am done, I am just excited to share my project with you!  I have been crafting for a little over a year with my Cricut and I love to make cards.  Today I decided to make something else just to mix it up a bit.

I recently got the card Flower Shoppe and I love it but I had yet to open it up so I thought I would use it for my guest designer day!

For this project I had been looking everywhere for the green foam circle wreath that they sell in all the craft stores but I couldnt find any. I was discussing it with my friend Brittany and she came up with the idea to use packing paper!

This is the "wreath" that I made with packing paper and packing tape.

I then wrapped it in green tulle and Voila! I had a wreath.  Then I cut about a million (this is an approximate number) flowers out from Flower Shoppe and hot glued them to the wreath.  At this point I am not sure if the wreath got more glue or my hands.  I got glue everywhere!

This is the end product!

This is my wreath hanging on the wall.

Because I used different sized flowers, the circle doesnt look circular but it is.

Close up of one flower.

To get more details about the products that I used, please visit my blog at http://hollys-hobbie.blogspot.com/ ! Because I am so excited about being a guest designer, I will be having a giveaway on my blog!

I really hope that you enjoyed my project! I am just still over the moon about being a guest designer for Alex! She was one of the first blogs that I ever visited and I have been hooked ever since! She is one talented lady!

Thank you so much Alex for letting me be a part of your Lala Palooza! I hope that you are settled in your new home and are back to your fantastic creations soon!

Happy Halloween! A Special Guest! and Week 21: Made It Myself Monday!

Hello Everyone!


This is Robyn from My Pink Stamper and I am so thrilled that Alex asked me to be her guest designer on Halloween!  I absolutely LOVE making goodie bags for this time of the year.  I have been busy this weekend making over 90 goodie bags for my children's classes.  I am a mom of 5 awesome kids so I have the fun job of making them goodie bags for almost every occasion!  

I used Spook-alicious from My Pink Stamper Stamps for this EASY goodie bag!  

Hope you enjoy it!  Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win ANY stamp set from My Pink Stamper.  Click HERE to view them all!

Thank you so much Alex for letting me guest design today!  You ROCK!!
Thanks a Robyn! You ROCK TOO! Thanks for being a Special Guest on
My Blog Today!

I hope everyone has a FUN and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

NOW IT'S TIME FOR A "SPECIAL HALLOWEEN" LINKING PARTY!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.



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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!

Guest Designer Lala Palooza - Crocheting

Happy Friday Crafty Friends!

This is Kathy from Kathy and Kids.

I'm so excited to be a Lala Palooza Guest Designer today! Thank you Alex for inviting me to share on your blog!

Today I'd like to share a non-paper craft project with you. I love my paper, stamps, and Cricut, but before I started paper crafting I learned how to sew and crochet.

I came across a really cute shop on etsy and through Facebook that sells crocheted beanie, headbands, and hat patterns. Her site is snappy-tots.com, and her page is Snappy Tots on Facebook.

Here is some of the projects that I've been making.

Fingerless Mittens

Mouse Beanie Bands
Flower Head Bands

Boarder Beanies

Aren't these the cutest?! My kids have all gotten beanies and I've been working on Christmas gifts as well.

If you crochet, you should stop by Snappy Tots on Facebook and check out all her cute patterns. Be sure to say Hi and tell her I sent you!

If anyone is interested in placing an order with me, head on over to my blog and leave me a message and I'll cotact you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Guest Designer Lala-palooza with My Quilling Nest

Hello there my name is Linda and my Blog is "My Quilling Nest".  I am so honored to be one of Alex's Lala-palooza's Guest Designer today.  I met Alex over a year ago through a post on FB, I don't know if she remembers this but I was her follower # 4...lol  She returned the favor by following my blog as well. I am so happy to see that now she has a thousand + followers...way to go Alex!!!!  Ok so for those of you who don't know me let me tell you that Quilling is my thing!  And for those who have never heard of Quilling, well Quilling is the art of rolling thin strips of paper and forming them into fun shapes.  For today I have a video to show you how you can make a simple quilled flower.  Check it out

Ok so I hope you enjoyed the mini tutorial  you can leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on Quilling.  I hope you give it a try, you are always welcome to visit my blog for more inspiration and turorials.  This was my small contribution to Alex's Guest Designer Lalapalooza, Gracias Amiga and many blessings in your new home!

Quilled Hugs,

Linda K.

Guest Designer Lala-Palooza : Havana Nights Party Centerpiece

Hi friends!  My name is Dorcas and am from Crafty Card Angel.  I am thrilled and honored to be a Guest Designer for Alex today at You Had Me @ Craft.  Let me tell you that from the day I found Alex, I have been hooked.  I read her blog often and check it several times a week.  She is such an inspiration to me.  The best part is she's Cuban just like me!!!!  I love my heritage and my Latin flavor and am thrilled to share it with someone as special as Alex is.

My project is a centerpiece for a Havana Nights Surprise birthday party for my cousin who turned 40 last month.  This was a fun and easy centerpiece to make and I am blessed to have a secret weapon - my BFF, Marisol!  She is the Martha Stewart in my life and she makes all things possible with a little glue. :)

Materials:

• straw hats (I purchased them on ebay for next to nothing)
• Plant of choice - we used Lavender Flower Spikes because the leaves look like areca palms...and they were only $2 at Lowe's.  
• Linen paper for the guayabera shirts (I'll show you how to fold them)
• Cuttlebug embossing folders (small strip sized ones)
• Bamboo skewers
• burlap bags - we had them ordered at a Cuban store here in Miami.  They were even personalized.  We paid $6 for a package of 12.  One package says Sugar and the other says Coffee. 
• Cigar boxes - we went to a local cigar shop and had them donate them.  We don't smoke, but it was a good theme. We will also put Dominoes down on the tables for interest and will be wrapping small espresso cups and saucers with coffee candy inside them in cellophane paper as favors.  Fun!
• Paper bags (lunch size 5 3/8" x 3 1/8")
• jute twine
• Ziploc Bags 
• Glue Gun

Step one was to make sure that the pots were placed into Ziploc bags so the moisture wouldn't destroy the paper bag.

Place the plant inside the paper bag and wrap a piece of jute twine around it .

Hot glue different memorabilia or decorative elements to the cigar box.
This is a "Sugar bag".  It says Circa 1971.  Magdiel (my cousin) and Las Villas (a province).  Made in Cuba.  SO CUTE! (it's actually filled with rice...another great idea that we can make ourselves next time)

This guayabera is made from an 81/2 x 11 sheet of linen paper.  It is super simple.  Click HERE for my original post on how to make these shirts (on a smaller scale).

The finished product.  Aren't they cute?  

The circle is a coaster we bought.  The Cuban currency is a replica we purchased online. 

We ran out of the cigar boxes that would fit the plant inside, so we made these three to stand alone.
It makes a pretty centerpiece even without the cigar box.   

I sure hope Max loves his party.  We put a lot of love into this event!

NOW IT'S TIME TO PARTY!!!!

Never partied here before? Check out the deets below...

1. Link any crafty project NEW or OLD.

2. Link UP to 3 projects.

3. Place the party BUTTON on your post.



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4. Visit and Comment on at least 2 Other Blogs

5. Lastly, leave a comment HERE!