From our Home to Yours

I wish I could send all my cyber friends a personal Christmas Card, but since that it just impossible I will share it with you here! So have a Very Merry Christmas, from the Hillman Family!

This year I went with a photo card, because I had these amazing beautiful family portraits my dear friend, Tara, took for me at my sisters wedding last month. I made the card myself in photoshop using two freebie downlaods from www.faithsisters.com (a girls gotta love free!). The canvas was made 4"x8", since I was unable to find a local place to print this size on a blank card (there's lots of really great pre-made photo card templates out there these days) I merged 3 cards onto a 8x12 canvas and had prints made at Costco. You still have to cut them apart, and buy your own envelopes, but hey, at least I can say my card this year was semi-homemade!

EnJoy!

***HeatheR***

The week before Christmas
My ICE Chicks gave to me….
A shopping list!

friend sent me this cute project http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1096807?cat=all&what=keywords&si=list and challenged me to come up with my own version. Well who am I to not take on a challenge. Besides it was way cute!

First I loved the idea. I am a notorious list maker, but somehow my lists never seem to make it to the store with me, this way I have a nice handy place to create my shopping lists and keep it in my purse so its handy at all times. I loved the tin in the original, but unfortunately I don’t have a tin like that in my stash. So I put on my thinking cap and came up with this…

A CD Jewel Case! It is thin, sleek, and small enough to keep in my purse without much an issue. The clear plastic is great to showcase a fun design, but keep it safe from tearing and getting ruined by use. Plus if your like me you probably have a couple hanging around the house, just screaming "alter me", and if not you can easily go buy one at any discount, drug, or electronic store!

This is the front of my list organizer. I found this great quote on a stamp recently. I think it’s just perfect!

I love the idea of doing a themed organizer for Christmas, or any other occasion that requires a lot of planning…but I am just getting a little sick of Christmas- and I wanted to use this year round, so I stuck with this WeArememoryKeepers line called White Out. (LOVE LOVE LOVE this line BTW)


Inside on the left are 2 staggered pockets to hold various receipts, business cards, notes etc. I highly recommend sewing the pockets on if you plan to use this feature much- that will help keep your paper from popping off and the receipts from getting stuck in stray adhesive. (I would have sewn mine, but I lent my sewing machine out and well it hasn’t been retuned, I digress…)


Next on the right side I used some coordinating papers to create a background. Then I cut some notebook paper to make my list notebook. Using my cropadile I carefully punched two holes through the paper “pad” & the back of the Jewel case. Then thread a ribbon through to hold all the pieces securely. This will eliminate bulk inside the case so it will shut, and help hold the pad on without the background paper always falling out due to the weight. This also makes replacing the pad paper a cinch! WARNING…. This was a little difficult with the cropadile since the clearance on the hole punch is not very wide, I ended up having to break off a small piece of plastic to get the 2nd hole in. I recommend using the Big Bite…and if you are considering purchasing one of these tools ( I LOVE my cropadile) I suggest getting the big bite for this exact reason (and the longer reach).

Lastly I tied a ribbon around a shorten pencil and threaded through one of the holes. This way I never lose it! Keep your eye out for extra small pens for this. I recently saw some cute sets at Michaels’ in the stocking stuffers bins. Or you can be like me and steal a pencil out of your kids stash, cut it down to size and wala! When the case is closed the pencil fits perfectly along the spine.

EnJoy!
****HeatheR***

A funny for you

This poem is just too cute not to share. Thanks Jackie, CTMH rep. and ICE Cool Chick for sending it to us!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds".
"I know I should Santa,and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly,And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap,
I'll see you next year!"

~Author Unknown

Guest Designer: Scribbles

This weeks Guest Designer is local artist Becky Wright and her company Scribbles. Her personalized HAND PAINTED signs are amazing! You can learn more about Scribbles at http://www.freewebs.com/scribblesigns/

Scribbles
FUN, unique, personalized, hand-painted, character signs!
You name it, you design it, I "Scribble" it!
scribblesigns@aol.com



I started "Scribbles" because I bought a sign and decided I would never spend that much on a sign again so I figured out how to make them myself. My daughter wanted a sign for her room so I painted her name and a "TinkerBell" because I thought it would add a little somethin' somethin'. My friends saw them and wanted some for themselves and then their friends did the same. It's just taken off from there.

Holiday Reminder

Christmas CountdownBonus!

See I told you I’d get a few of these thrown in, too bad I’ve gotten a little side tracked by the season…. Oye.

When I came across this poem a couple years ago, it has become a great reminder at the beginning of each season to not to forget the real meaning of the Holidays. Every year I search my PC for the poem, (because as I’ve changed computers over the years and never seem to store the file in a place I can find and remember it…) And read it hoping to take its words to heart. Every year I say I’m going to print it all pretty and make a wall hanging to hang up to help me remember each and every day, and every year I don’t…till now.

******************

1 CORINTHIANS 13 - A CHRISTMAS VERSION

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,

but do not show love to my family,

I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,

but do not show love to my family,

I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity,

but do not show love to my family,

it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata

but do not focus on Christ,

I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those whoare able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust,

but giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry Christmas and lots of love to you and yours!

Author Unknown

************************

First I typed the poem out in Photoshop, using several fonts for added artistic interest.

For an extra touch I used a gold fine tip pen and a gold glitter pen to go over some of the bold text to give it a metallic and special feel.

Then I used a plain ‘ol mat I bought at Wal-Mart for .97 I was surprised to find that the beveled mat was actually 2 mats, so you could get 2 signs out of 1 if you were making several, and wanted to be a bit more frugal. I just covered the Mat(s) in scrapbook papers,& added a few embellishments.


Instead of framing it (which would be lovely also) I used my cropadile to punch 2 holes and made a ribbon hanger.



I hope that this poem will help you too to remember that the holidays arn't just about the gifts, the decorating, and even all the "good" things we do, but to remember to give the best gift of all to those around us; love. I know all to well how easily you can get wrapped up in doing things, even things for church, and charity, and selfless acts for the less fortunate and hurting, but sometimes its best to remember that you need to save some of yourself for those who matter the most.

Have a Blessed Season!

EnJoY!
***HeatheR**

What's in a name?

Only 3 weeks left to Christmas…
The ICE chicks said to me…
EEEK!

A name sign is a great gift. There are many ways to make a name sign, you can use a first name, or a surname, it can be elegant, or fun and playful. There is so many ways to go about making a name sign also.

This example was made by Cool Chick Jennifer Smith. She used a plain wood board for the base, painted and lacquered it. Then using a Cricuit she cut the last name from paper, & used additional papers to create a background. She used modge podge over the top of the sign to keep all the elements safe, added some ribbon and placed the sign on an easel. Cute!

This sign was made by Cindy Kinickerbocker. The cute stamped people represent the recipients family & makes for a unique gift. The stamps are from Stampin’ Up! Called “All in the Family” (if you are interested in purchasing this stamp please contact us at info@iceescape.net and we will be happy to get you in contact with Cindy) After creating the base with stamps, paper, ribbons, and a small tag with the families name, she framed it in a long black frame to finish it off. Super cute!

And lastly is this fun name sign. It was made on a simple board that was painted. Large letters spell out the child’s name and fun coordinating embellishments and pattern paper finish it off. This sign included a hanger on the back to hang on a wall.

You can find plain board ready to create on at you local craft store or Home Improvement store. Unique frames can be found at any discount store watch for the long frames usually used for matted collages.

If you have a personal cutting system such as the Circuit or the Silhouette you can cut letters for your sign from paper or even Vinyl. Depending on the size of your sign, premade monogram letters, chipboard letters, and stickers work great to create a name sign. Or check your local scrapbooking stores, many stores offer free workrooms with a Varity of diecut alphabets available!

EnjoY!
***HeatheR***

Easy cute Christmas tags

Today I wanted to show you some really easy, cute Christmas tags you can make to go on your gifts.

Start with cardstock and cut out a tag. These are about 2 1/2 by 4. Cut a strip of paper to go across them. You can then cut out a printed or stamped circle image with words or a circle object of some sort would work great. I used a 2 inch circle punch for this. Then cut out a matching (or not-whatever your preference) 1 inch circle for the middle.


Then glue the pieces together, punch a hole in the top and add ribbon. Here are a couple of examples of the finished product.

These are quick and easy for both kids and adults!

Nancy

Popcorn Fun

On the fourth week before Christmas
My ICE chicks gave to me...
something a little corny!

These little popcorn treats were a HUGE hit at the Christmas show. You could use any type of popcorn, Here we used bags of microwave popcorn adorned with papttern paper wrapped around as a band and ribbon, but you could make popcorn balls, or attach it to a jar filled with pretty specialty popcorn, or even make a cute gift including a oversized bowl, flavoring sprinkles, and of course popcorn. The special part of this gift is the poem...of course.

Yet another super easy and cheap gift that's great for teachers, co-workers, neighbors and fun!

EnjoY!

***HeatheR***