Well, it almost Christmas and I have been super busy at work--retail is CRAZY!!! It's fun to help people find gifts for loved ones and friends, but the days are long and my body is screaming at me every night when I come home! I had great plans for a family picture and fun Christmas card, alas, with grown children in different places and everyone's schedules never matching up, the family picture didn't happen and my Christmas card will be more of a "holiday card" only because it probably will arrive around New Years Day--that's still ok, right? I had each family member take a pic of themselves at their new jobs, I think it came out pretty well. Hopefully next year I can plan my card much better (yeah, right!!!)
I chose a trifold card this year, it gave me room to add larger pics. My computer is getting old so my program becomes as slow as molasses when I add several components so this took me a lot longer than normal. Maybe Santa can bring me a new computer for Christmas!! I just love that I can create my own one-of-a-kind card for Christmas or any other occasion.
With all the holiday craziness going on, I will not be blogging until the first of the year, I am choosing to spend the little free time I have with my family (so excited to have my daughter home for a few weeks!) See you back here on the first of January for the We Create Blog Hop! Enjoy our final MDS Blog Hop of 2014!
We wish for you a very merry Christmas and may you all enjoy the love of your families during this holiday season!
The last few years I have created screen savers for my phone, this year I have done one to remind me of the reason for the season--Christ! One of my favorite Christmas CD's for the last 20+ years has been "The Forgotten Carols" by Michael McLean. The premise of the story is an older gentleman who has a nurse (who has lost the true spirit of Christmas) to care for him and he shares the unknown stories that occurred during the time Christ was born. The innkeeper, a shepherd who fell asleep and missed the angelic message, Handel's dream, a woman who held the Christ so Mary could sleep, as well as others. One of the songs I love is called "Let Him In" about the Innkeeper who didn't have room for Mary and Joseph and how he regrets not allowing them to stay.
I am trying to focus more on the reason why we celebrate during this Christmas season. I mean, I always try to focus on the Savior and His birth but I know that sometimes, with all the craziness that happens during the holiday season, I can momentarily loose sight of my focus. My children are grown and so it's not so much about Santa and the gifts he brings--I LOVE Santa and the symbol he stands for, but as long as we remember that the giving of gifts is in remembrance of the wonderful, glorious gift we have been given by our Heavenly Father! There is no other gift that can compare to the blessed gift of our Savior Jesus Christ! I have chosen to surround myself as much as possible with reminders: creches, pictures, my cute little shepherd woodcut that I made with my dear friend Michelle Williams (who died several years ago), my olive wood nativity ornaments from Jerusalem, and because I'm on my phone every day, I thought I would have a quick reminder to make room for Him in my life daily. I pray that we can all make room in our hearts and homes for the one for whom we celebrate this beautiful season!
Can you believe that Christmas is just three short weeks away! It doesn't seem like I've been in Utah for 6 months, but it has been fun decorating my new home for the holidays. What is a special tradition you enjoy? Favorite Christmas carol? Leave a message, I would love to hear what you like to do during the Christmas season to make it special.
I have to apologize for taking such a long break, I started my new job at Crate & Barrel and working several evenings a week have put a damper on my blogging time. Luckily, I had a open house last week and had prepared some packages for my displays. Stampin' Up! has so many packaging options, the hardest part is selecting which is your favorite! (Or...you can just buy it all!!)
Our wonderful Gift Box punch board is a fabulous tool for making boxes up to 4" x 4" (using 12" x 12" cardstock or Designer Series Paper). Our Take Out box, Window box and Tag a Bag box are great pre-made boxes that just need a bit of stamping or embellishments. Cello bags come in 4 different sizes, but my favorite is the 1" x 8" you can add pencils, pens, candy, and more. We also carry Big Shot dies in box shapes, just like my fry box. To top it all off, we have our new Festive Designer Kraft paper rolls and a plethora of beautiful ribbons and trims to tie everything up. You can order anytime, there is still plenty of time to receive your products before Christmas, but don't delay!
I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with this month! It's always fun to see different ideas that I can CASE! (Copy and Share Everything...as long as you give credit to the designer!!)