Christmas Greetings

Tis the season for cards, tags and pictures, and I have one of each to share.
I made a few cards based on these cards but with a holiday twist. They whip up so quick and I love that I get to use up little bits of my scraps. They are "Blank Inside Cards"!
For our November Card Group meeting we did tags instead of cards. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what tags I wanted to make. Then I was preparing to make some of these fortune cookie ornaments and ding! Light bulb! So I turned the ornaments into tags.
Each cookie had one of the following fortunes:
"The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" Buddy the Elf
You will soon receive an unusual gift.
"You'll shoot your eye out kid!" A Christmas Story
A pleasant surprise is in your future.
Finally, our contribution to the postman/postwoman's overflowing bag this season. The picture was taken this summer and I can't believe how much bigger Kennedy is. Oh well.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

After spending 2 incredible weeks on the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon last month I've been slow getting back into the swing of regular life. But slowly my brain is starting to work again, and that generally translates into creating.
This fun banner is for a friend whose little guy will be 1 next month. I picked out colors to match his birthday shirt and can't wait to see how the whole ensemble comes together.
These cards and removable flower clips will be my contribution to card group next week. I loved making the flowers and now I'm trying to think of as many different ways to utilize them as I can.
And this gorgeous collection of fabrics arrived in my mail box a last week. I've been admiring Going Coastal since the spring when everyone had pictures of it from quilt market. I can't wait to dive into them.

May Card Group

May was my month to host our card group. It was an enjoyable evening making cards and visiting.
To decide what card to make that night I went to what I know- fabric. I love bunting and had so much fun picking out fabrics (mostly polka-dots). My original plan was the birthday card on the right. But I keep getting hung up on nautical themes so I made the card on the left. And gave the ladies their choice which to make.
For refreshement I made Lemon Shortbread Cookie Cups with raspberries on top and cinnamon roasted almonds. I hate to say it but they were both delisious!
That night after everyone went home I had extra supplies and whipped up a couple cards for the Etsy shop.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

1 cup white sugar
1/2 t. kosher salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 egg white
1 t. vanilla
4 cups raw almonds

1. Preheat oven to 250 deg. F. Cover a 13x18 inch baking sheet with parchment paper (or
grease well).

2. In small bowl combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl slighty beat the egg white. Add vanilla and beat until very frothy, but not stiff.
Add the almonds and stir until well coated. Add the cinnamon and sugar mixtrue and toss until evenly coated. Spread evenly on the prepared pan.

4. Bake for one hour, stirring half way through. Allow to cool then store in an airtight container.

This is Not a Resolution

I NEVER make New Year's resolutions, because I just feel like making resolutions is a recipe for failure. I feel the same way about goal setting sessions. Does that make me an underachiever? Whatever- that's my philosophy.

However, I do have a goal for 2011. It is a quilting/crafting goal. There are so many different and unique quilting techniques out there and I know that there is no way that I can ever try them all. But there are a few that I have bookmarked to accomplish. My goal this year is to make them happen. I've already started, with pinwheels. And so far I love them! They are so fun and quick. I'm using this tutorial and it's a revelation. You really should go check it out.
(photo from Kate Conklin)
I bought this quilt pattern with some money from Christmas. I'm excited to try curved piecing and what could be better than a quilt inspired by the sea! (photo from My Three Sons)
I think cathedral windows are so striking. And I'm all about not reinventing the wheel so I'm looking forward to any hints I can get. I'm even branching out into other mediums. I was invited to join a card group with some ladies at my church, and although I do very little with scrapbooking or paper crafting I decided that I'd like to try it out. I've committed to a year of making cards. This is my card for February's meeting, and I have to admit that I love how it turned out.

One last new endeavor for me this year is smocking. A friend volunteered to teach me how to smock a dress for Kennedy. My previous ventures into clothes making have not gone well so I'm a bit nervous. But my friend promised me that it was doable so we'll see how it goes.

So here's to not making resolutions but still having a plan in mind to get a few things done this year!