Merry Christmas 2012

This is the card that we sent out:

You'll have to use your imagination, since it was a tri-fold design it doesn't display very well on a blog.

I am seriously amazed that it got finished and in the mail.
(Thank you to a family friend of my teenagers who gave a day to help me wrap gifts, clean, and finish the card before we headed back to Missouri to be with my father-in-law.  You're such a dear, Maggie, and this card would not have happened if it weren't for you.)

Hope you all had a merry Christmas with extra time spent with your loved ones!

December Goodbye

I'd like to offer a quick explanation for my absence...
my father-in-law lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Dec. 16th.
We are grateful for the time we had to say goodbye and the extra weeks beyond what the doctors predicted. We are grateful for the years together before he was diagnosed--especially that each of my kids had a chance to know him well. I don't remember either of my grandfathers, so it is so special to me that my kids have had great relationships with theirs. They will never forget the memories they have with him. We are grateful that his last days passed quietly and that he seemed comfortable.

Some of my favorite pictures from this year:

Christmas Craftiness

I found this free Christmas printable on Pinterest from the blog My Fabuless Life.
I love it framed in my kitchen. So easy...download, print, frame.

When I first started reading Meg Duerksen's blog Whatever, I fell in love with her beautiful old home and her unique Christmas decorations.

I especially liked this idea:

I found some adorable mini flashcards to download on Etsy at The Old Design Shop. 

I made my own version, minus the lovely frame that Meg Duerksen used.

I may or may not have bought multiple sets of these--love them!

The whole sheet prints on 8.5x11.

I found these digital vintage flashcards at Designer Digitals a couple of years ago, and use them to decorate with as well. They are larger than the ones above. There are several different sets available.

My most recent project (also seen via Pinterest) was a ruffled tree skirt.
Here's a picture of the one I made... almost finished. (It looks fabulous under the tree!)