Collector's Wanted

Christmas Collectors Wanted!!

My 1st Meme event is up all week @

Christ is the Heart of Christmas.

I'm having quite the time with the new design features on blogger!  We are fighting and it keeps winning. 

 I  lost my Countdown feature. lol

Holly at Banner Haus News saved my Title to the left issue.  lol  Thanks, Dear Holly.

I hope I can figure out Mr. Linky.  My family was laughing at me last night that I am technology challenged.

Not sure if He's linking me in yet but I got it going.

I'll have another gathering of collections after this 1st event week:

October's Christmas Collector's Event

So, if back to school or allergies has you distracted look for the next event and hang my poster on your bloggie. It'll be hard to dream of Christmas while looking at the gorgeous Fall decor in our homes but we'll manage somehow.  lol 

xox, DeniseMarie

Candy Corn Tussie Mussie

I saw the cutest thing ever yesterday. 

I received my Oriental Trading Handmade Autumn catalog and devoured it up in 15 minutes.  On page 4, I feasted my eyes on a delightful sight.

A Candy Corn Tussie Mussie

 http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?demandPrefix=12&sku=65/80462&mode=Searching&erec=1&D=paper+cone+template&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntk=all&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&N=0&y=10&Ntt=paper+cone+template&Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&x=22&sd=Box+Templates+II

On-line you can see the page if my reference goes thru above.  They'll sell that set of templates just based off of the 2 projects they show on the page (there is a coffin too).

Box Template II is a set of 12 templates for $10 and 1 of them is a "Cone Treat Hanger Template"  A customer below says this is the only place she's seen them and they are really good, thick quality.  I may have to order a set myself.

Cuteness  It looks like they used a coffee filter to stuff into the cone to put the candy canes into.  They used ribbon and rick-rack yumminess.  I love the ruffled affect at the top of the cone.

I may make 2 for my boys and stuff with candy and surprise them closer to Halloween season.  I'm certainly gonna keep the tussie mussie idea for all the colored candy corns that come out at Christmas, Valentines, Easter and the Fall season.  How sweet to color coordinate the candy to the mussie!!

Also...Crafters be aware that the catalog is chock full of gorgeous beads to do your jewelry.  I even saw a John Deere Tractor bead. :0)

I'm playing along today at some memes:

Her 28th party

Show us What Ur Working With Wednesday #25

DeniseMarie

Pink & Blue Goodness

None of them are 100% complete but here are the countdown matchboxes that will have some pink on them for the swap at A Swap for All Seasons.  My favorite came together unexpectedly.  Cookies for Santa: I paroosed thru my scrapbook stickers and found the milk and cookie stickers, used a graduation announcement pink sparkle background to cut my heart out and used baby beads to spell To Santa. 

Fun!!

Some of my creations are plain ol' snowy fun, some reverent, some childlike.  Hey...that is a pile of snowballs with the Get Crazy polar bear and penguin, not polar bear poop. lol

And, I kinda got too many pink tennis balls for the Christmas morning puppy. :0)

You can see the PINK on her gown irl.

But...you can really see lots of BLUE on most of them too.

If I knew how to put music on this post ya'll would have to listen to..."All I want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus!"  hahahaha  Did ya notice the FLUFFY with the Hippo stuffed animal sticker?  My youngest loved Hippos when he was younger.

To see a little more about this project check out my Christmas blog,

Christ is the Heart of Christmas.

Edit Detail: these are plain ol' matchboxes from Dollar Tree.  You'd have to buy 3 pks of 10 to have enough for an ADVENT countdown.  They were stashed in the kitchen utencil area when I found them.

KIDS LOVE THIS PROJECT.  SONS FRIENDS KEEP COMING IN AND WANTING TO DO IT!

Linky fun:

Show n Tell Friday Friday

...with Cindy at My Romantic Home 

Happy Pink Saturday

...come enjoy the Pink Parade with Beverly at

How Sweet the Sound.

Happy Blue Monday with Smiling Sally

xox, DeniseMarie

Vent hood cabinet again!

None of you peeps that get'r done in days will believe that I waited over 1.5 yrs. for hubby to do something about our gaping hole above the stove.  Yes, for some reason we have this gorgeous new kitchen and bead board ceiling and stopped at not trimming out the cabinets and building our dream vent hood cabinet as a special piece.  I even had a designer (only $60 for the consultation) come in to our home and give us designer paint color decisions.  He chose our accent red color and kitchen only Butternut color. 

Progress...I got him to put a cleat into the wall for the new cabinet.

We primed and painted our hearts out in the Texas heat...

And, hung it up to cure while we ran to the farm for a week.

What do ya'll think?  We havent hung the 3 doors that need to go on because I really want it to cure solid and have no sticky cabinets.  I've waited this long why rush it??

I can't believe we conceived of this kitchen together.  I tell ya...we may not want a bigger home for the boys with the dated and yucky fixtures we are finding in the kitchens we are seeing out there.

xox, DeniseMarie

Cotton Country

I've been  to Cotton Country with in-laws.  We were surprised by brother in law so all 5 cousins got the run of the place.

Their fav spot was under this tin shed with a trailer full of tractor tires.  They came out black with markings and the noise of them jumping was like thunder. Boom...boom...boom.

Father in law kept hoping it would rain for the crops so he was thinking thunder but...alas, it was just them grand-young'uns. lol

Here you get a perspective of the soy bean field and cotton field and what it is like to be 1 mile in from the road.

100% Cotton...Made in the U.S.A.

xox, DeniseMarie

Bloggie Break

Just in case I can't post from hubby's computer at the farm this week I'm leaving ya'll with a pic of the awesome lemonade stand I came across in my neighborhood this week.  I've seen at least 3.  But, these boys beat out all the girl stands I've come across.

I always make a point to stop for any precious kids learning work ethic and selling skills!!

xox, DeniseMarie

Jack Beagle

It's Hound Dog Thursday with Cindy at A House with 2Cats

So..

I get to share my newest shot of Jack Beagle.   lol

Jake put his dinosaur toy under his paw and he let it sit there while he kept resting.

I spotted a new meme this Friday am too..

Bella is allowing us to show our babies off looks like once a month on the 1st Friday of each month.  What a great meme.  I gotta show the shots I just took of Sonic kitty this week too.

He has taken over our wing back chair.  He'll lay there even if there is a pile of laundry waiting for us to put in a drawer.  He just curls up beside whatever is in the chair. 

This is Jack Beagle's spot next to me while I'm blogging.  This lil patch of wood floor is his cool patch.

It's too hot outside...for sure.

Show your pet love at these 2 memes today.

Have a happy Weekend!

xox, DeniseMarie

Teenager in the house!!

Dear Lord...I've been good.  Jake is now a teenager which means I've allowed him to survive his pre-teen years.  I didn't think I'd get thru them with his stubborn tenacity.  Please help me be strong and patient and loonnnggg suffering with him now that he is a teen.  lol  For, I know the plans you have for him...to prosper him and not to harm him...to give him a hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11  I know that 1 day all of those character traits that make his momma crazy will be great assets to him and for your good use.

Look how cute and innocent and sweet he looks at 7:30am.  He doesn't sleep in like most kids his age.  He couldn't wait to open the gift I got him.   Girls, he has grown 1 1/2 inches and 8 lbs. since June 7th recordings. 

He sure can't use it now but this Winter it'll be cool to have.  A Longhorns Letter Jacket style coat.

I always get him lots of different clothing pieces.  I'm such a Mom!! 

 

I finally tried something.  I was inspired by the pretty package party.  I used this Michael's clearance Christmas paper and very wide ribbon I got this past January.  I love papers that don't look like Christmas because they can be used for other special occassions.

I used an empty ribbon roll to make his gift tag.  I inked the edge and cut the scallop with my large scallop circle puch.  I used small star punches to pop dot off the red.  I saw 1 time that someone recycled these rolls for ornament making so maybe I'll try that this fall. :) 

Thrifty Thursday at Bloggeritaville

Pretty Packages Party at The Blackberry Vine

xox, DeniseMarie

Pretty packages 2

The incredible hostess of this party is The Blackberry Vine .  She has a copy from her awesome Mother-in-Love at Entertaining Women of this book that I would love to own. 

It is such a beautiful book that it inspired a Meme! 

I believe I've flipped thru it while relaxing at Barnes & Noble that happens to be in the same shopping strip as my Massage Envy.  ; }  I'm preparing a shower gift so I'm gonna tag in again.

I made this special lil matchbook album for a baby boy coming soon.  I've embellished a set of 6 cards to go with it to complete my gift.  Now, how to gift it at the shower?  I started with a pop-tart box and cut the top flaps off.  I've finally run out of baby boy gift bags but never to worry.

This is a scrap of wrapping paper I used for my baseball boys.  Ya'll know the pieces you should just throw away because it is so much trouble keeping the lil scraps.

Here are the cards I whipped up for Logan's Mom to use for thank you or progress report cards. lol

This precious ribbon came from Dawn at Cottage State of Mind when she sent me her blog-a-versary gift.  It is perfect for securing the set of notecards.

I nestled them nicely down into the box and used white tissue to coddle them.

I used scraps to make the card and taped it onto the front.

Can't wait to see pics of this sweet lil boy coming soon.

Parties to show off my work:

Pretty Packages Party with The Blackberry Vine

Show us what UR working Wednesday with at Me & My Bucket

xox, DeniseMarie

Pretty Packaging

I want to tag into the 1st ever Pretty Packages Party at The Blackberry Vine so I found a few photos in my archives.  I sure hope she does this often.  I adore the book she was inspired by to do the meme.  I love to package gifts special without buying a $3 gift bag to do it.  Call it cheap...frugal...creative.  A favorite tactic is cello!

Spring '08 I had a blast putting these together for teachers, prayer partners and coaches.  I had found right after Easter some chocolates in clear plastic Easter Egg shaped holders for 50% off.  I took the chocolates out to give 3 per package and they stretched pretty far.  I used crinkled paper to fill the bottom of the carrot shaped bags (orange crinkle would have been even cuter, maybe even with gold crinkle sprinkled in too).  The bags came with green ribbons and a leaf tag that I wrote 24K gold Thanks on from our family. 

 I love a gift within a gift.  I love cello bags!!  I love to see the gift and have your heart flutter.

I've been doing Snowman Soup for years...I'm famous for it with NASA engineers. lol

 

Hubby likes for me to have a little something for every single desk in his branch at work for Christmas so I stock up at the after Christmas sales on Snowman cups if I see them for Snowman Soup.  I had gotten these really pretty ones to give for 2009.  I didn't find any after 2009 season was over.  I've also used burlap snowman sacks from Oriental Traders, Snowman ZipLoc bags if I see them.  It makes a terrific family gift if you make a batch and put it into a big container so they can enjoy thru-out the season.

I'm able to get the cup down into a cello bag without toching the lip of the cup. Snowman Soup: In it goes a pkg of cocoa, a candy cane for stirring and 3 chocolate kisses and a lil jewelry bag of marshmallows, so that they don't dry up.  In this photo I can see that I also added extra chocolate candies and a personal note from our family.  I twist tied them up the best I could.  I also love the cups with the sip lips on top too.  Maybe this year I can use brown paper sacks so that a few cookies will fit into the bag with the cup with soup fix'ns in it. :0)

A simple idea that hit me this Winter for my Mom's In Touch prayer group that I lead for Nate's Ele school.  I wanted to give a simple gift to the school by way of the Teacher's Lounge coffee/tea area.

  

As soon as I saw this bucket of Peppermint Stir Sticks at World Market, I envisioned this penguin gift tag from my stash suspended with a straw and holding a sweet lil candy cane and writing

'Let's Stick Together' on the tag which you can barely see here.  It was a hit.  I could see using 1 of these in Snowman soup with a Snowman Peep to change up the recipe.

Also, want to tag into

3 or more Tuesday at The Gypsy's Corner

xox, DeniseMarie