Another Christmas craft

Rewind...back to Christmas.
I did have a little time to do some Christmas crafting but not until Christmas Eve Day. We had a few friends over for dinner on Christmas (Yep, we eat outside for Christmas Dinner) and I left these at the ladies' places at the table. So simple to make. I used my trusty hot glue gun for all of it. Here's how to do it:

1. Take a bulb and create a "nest" on top using 6" of white maribou and 4" tinsel garland.
2. Glue on a pipe cleaner for a handle.
3. Add some glitter to a white bird (found in the wedding section at Michael's).
4. Glue the bird on her nest.
5. Add 3 silver balls as her eggs.
6. Glue a chandelier crystal (also found in the wedding section) and some tinsel on the bottom.
   

Voila! You could probably make her a little more ornate but during the holidays, I simply didn't have time. This would make a nice party favor for New Year's too.

Cheers!
Christy

Lots of memories

Where do I begin... The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activities, fun, and making memories. First, Sam turned 4 years old on the 23rd. I'm still not sure what I was thinking throwing a party for him 2 days before Christmas but it turned out fine. We kept it simple and small and he loved it.
Then, onto Christmas Eve. Maddie dressed up as an angel at church.
This is my favorite gift this year: Maxwell. Isn't he adorable?Everyone was on their best behavior by Christmas Eve.
That good behavior paid off for our kids. They got more than we could have imagined but it sure did keep them busy. I love this photo of Maddie playing on Christmas morning. She said that "Baby Doctor Barbie" made all her dreams come true. If only that innocence could last... Max woke up happy on Christmas morning after another full night's sleep. I needed some coffee and obvious to me now, need to color my hair. ;) Max loves his Bumbo chair and he thinks this singing penguin is hilarious! I never know how Maddie will "decorate" Max when I leave the room. She is so gentle but loves to put different hats on him, blankets to keep him warm, and make sure he has a toy. She is a doting sister and he loves it. So while all our family back East is enjoying a White Christmas, we enjoyed a San Diego Bright Christmas. We went down to Balboa park the day after Christmas to play and just enjoy the nice day. The kids enjoyed the Koi pond.Our favorite secret chair.
Even the Grinch was there. Can you see him?Our favorite activity at Balboa Park is always the Carousel. It will be 100 years old in 2010 and still brings so much joy to the young and old. Even old guys like Brentt have fun playing the Brass Ring game. He won the Brass Ring and we got a free ride for next time. The kids thought he was their hero. He is.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you are also making special memories with your family this holiday season. Cheers!
Christy

Christmas projects

This year, I did not have near as much time as I would have liked to make Christmas gifts. I love making stuff. Creative activities like crafts and scrapbooking are a great outlet for me and help me keep my sanity. But over the past couple months (since Max arrived) I've been choosing to sleep in my "spare" time.

Now that Christmas is close and most of these gifts have already been revealed to the recipient, I think I can show everyone now and I won't ruin a surprise.

I started by making this collage on canvas for my Mom. She loves angels and I thought this would make a nice decoration. Its a 9" by 12" canvas.
I love the vintage look! The angel paper comes from Graphic 45. I backed the paper with chipboard, used foam adhesive to give it dimension, and adhered a lace border. The platinum colored Stickles (glitter glue) goes perfectly with the paper. With the same piece of paper, I also made 4 tags and 2 book marks. It was a great design and I certainly couldn't let it go to waste. But there were times that inspiration did not strike in my sleep-deprived days. Thanks to the "Very Vintage" online workshop I took with Lisa Pace, I simply followed directions and made this glittered Santa boot.
And then, sometimes I got a little carried away. This gift below started as a glittered church. And then I thought it needed a sparkly yard, hence the mirror, glittered trees and the snowman.
Then, I thought it needed a bit more twinkle so, I added a light inside. Then, I thought the church on the mirror looked awkward on its own. So I decorated this box with crackle paints, music paper, and more glitter and sparkle. Now it was complete. I filled the box with chocolate truffles and it was a great gift for some special people.
Now that a lot of the Christmas rush is through, I have more time to make more gifts and I think I'll even be able to show you some new scrapbook pages soon too. Thanks for visiting!
Christy

A visit with the REAL Santa

This last weekend we went to "the party of all Christmas parties!" We had the best time at Grandma Jeannie and Papa Jake's (Max's great-grandparents) house and it just so happens that they are friends with "THE BIG GUY." The one and only, real Santa.

All the kids waited at the door with great anticipation.
Then, Santa came in and read them all a book . Later, they even got signed copies!

Sam got a great gift and his picture taken with Santa.Maddie looked so pretty with Santa.Here's Max's first photo with Santa. Then, we continued onto a tasty breakfast with Santa.Santa even had time to answer important questions like "Where is Mrs. Claus today?" and did you talk to my Elf-on-the-Shelf about yesterday?
Sam seemed a little worried...Santa was not the only one who was the center of attention at the party.There was even a band!But, alas, even the little ones get all tired out so it was time to go home and hope that Santa saw only our best behavior this year. I hope you are enjoying your holidays as much as we are. This year, they are so meaningful! We feel so blessed.

Cheers!
Christy

Joy and happiness!

Brace yourself for a photo-heavy post! December has been such a happy, happening month so far that we just must share. Every December is full of parties for us but none is as important as the Adoption Center's Christmas party. This year, we got to be at the party with Jordan and Max. It just seemed so complete knowing that we have completed our family with our third baby. It also seemed so complete with Jordan with us--she just fits right in and Maddie and Sam ADORE her!Can you believe she had a baby 7 weeks ago? She looks awesome!Check out Max's face in this photo below! He looks like something is really funny!
Did you see that? We're getting real smiles from Max. And he is quite generous with them but they are quick and sometime I am so close that I don't get a great photo but anything will do for now. My chubby baby....16 pounds and counting!With Sam dressed in his fire fighter outfit half the time, Max cannot resist smiling at him!Here are my three babies snuggled up watching a Christmas movie.
It will be a great Christmas! Thanks for visiting!
Cheers!
Christy