Happy New Years

Hello Sweet Friends, I Haven't been around during the holiday break as my time has been devoted to taking care of my mother. I usually do my visiting and commenting on your blogs during the evenings but my mom doesn't have a computer so my computer time has been very limited! Hoping things will be getting back to normal in the next week or two. I did want to take a minute to wish you all have a most wonderful and blessed 2012.

Blog Hop Winners

Today is the day~~~ The Pixie Cottage is announcing all the winners from the Blog Hop. Each blog has drawn a winner so be sure to
stop by and see if it is you!!

PIXIE COTTAGE CHALLENGE

This is the last Pixie Cottage Challenge for 2011. As always we have a sketch and or theme. This weeks theme is Someone Special. My tag is for my grandson, the backside has a pocket that I tucked his gift card in. Forgot to take a pic of the back. I cut my oval with a Spellbinder, water colored Sebastian and added some glittered snowflakes. The little bottom dodad is a Spellbinder and so it the top holder for the ribbon.
Again Im so sorry I havent been around commenting but the on going nightmare with my mom has taken another turn ans she is back in the hospital. Hope you all have a Wonderful and Blessed Christmas.

Entering Challenges:
Top Tip Tuesday: Anything Christmas
Craft Room: Die Cuts & punches
Whoopsi Daisy: Sparkle & Shine
There She Goes Clear Stamps: Last minute tags

Passionately Artistic

Passionately Artistic is celebrating Christmas so you have lots of possibilities! My card is very simple. A little stitching, layers, Spellbinder pennant and a filigree tree a friend gave me. The sentiment was cut with a Spellbinder star. Be sure to stop by and join the linking party to be eligible for a prize.

Entering Challenge:
Papertake Weekly: Last Christmas card of the year

Crafty Boots: Christmas
Kreative Stempelfreunde: Christmas

Celebrating our 100th Challenge with a Blog Hop

It's a very special challenge at The PixIe Cottage this week as we are celebrating our 100th challenge!

To mark this special occasion we are having an "Anything Goes Christmas" challenge and also a blog hop for some very special prizes!

You should have come to me from the talented Tanya Rudd and if not then please go to The PixIe Cottage so that you don't miss a spot on the hop.

You'll need to collect letters from all the blogs on the hop to be in with a chance of winning.

Also you must leave a comment at all the blogs as each one is giving away a PixIe Cottage Digital Image of your choice, so plenty of prizes to be had.

Finally when you get back to the The PixIe Cottage leave your name and link to your blog in the Inlinkz box for a chance to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Michelle's Scrapbooking & More! We'd love you to enter with a Christmas card/project but if you are only entering the blog hop please add BH after your name. Only one "Blog Hop Only" entry per person.

So now you just need to leave me a comment and then hop along to another one of my talented teamies, Nancy Holland to carry on with the fun! Remember to be sure to collect the letters at each of the blogs to be In the drawings! Winners will be announced
Friday Dec 23rd.

I just love the Snow Fairy by Alisa Ramirez. So pretty for this time of year and versatile to use on cards, pennants, ornaments and much more. I' ve used her for both of these projects.A two sided oranament was made from several layers of Spellbinder Scalloped circles, a fan fold circle edged with a MS punch. The pretty little Snow Fairy is water colored, cut out and added to the fan fold. A few jingle bells and jewels finish this ornament off.

This one was made with 12 Spellbinder ornaments cut and attached to form the honeycomb ornament. A top from an old ornament, bow made with ribbon dyed to match the paper and the same water colored Snow Fairy. A few beads to finish it off

The last project is a pennant using the The Christ Child by Tricia Moore. The image was water colored and cut out for the center pennant. Several layers cut and one using the Spellbinder pennant. Snowflakes, buttons, ribbon, jingle bells and glitter for some embellies.

Yippee was finally able to get the pennants uploaded!!

Thanks for dropping by and joining our Pixie Cottage Blog Hop.

Entering Challenges:

The Stamping Boutique: Non Traditional Christmas Colors...purple

Whoopsi Daisy: Sparkle & Shine

Creative Card Crew: Tis the Season

My Time to Craft: Vintage Christmas

Cupcake Craft: Sparkle, shine, gleams and glitter

Papertake Weekly: Im dreaming of ( fav color) Christmas...purple

Crafty Boots: Christmas

Tuesday Throwdown

This will be our last Challenge for 2011 at Tuesday Throwdown. Our theme this week is for someone special. Our sponsor My Grafico gave us these lovely images to work with. I chose the cardinal since it seems to be one of the traditional Christmas icons.

Water colored the bird and holly and part of the flourish. I started to do the flourish in stickes but changed mid stream! Some My minds eye paper made a quiet background along with some stitching. The cutouts are all Spellbinders and the punched edge is MS.
Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas!!

Entering Challenges:
Hooked on Crafts: Christmas
Crafty Boots: Christmas
Kreative Stampelfreunde: Christmas

Heart Song Inspiration Challenge

This will be the last Heart Song Challenge until the New Year. Today you can choose snowflakes and/ or doilies. We look forward to see you creations so hop on over and join us. My card is for my son in law who just deployed after Thanksgiving. An easel card with a Christmasy stripe stitched onto the solids. Some snowflake embellies on the top along with the MS punched edge. The sentiment is cut out with a Spellbinder pennant. Printed the fun little Heart Song trees in two sized and water colored. A Cherry Lynn doily topped with a fan fold as a tree holder.

Like many others I work 8-11 hr days depending on which day and then have been coming home changing clothes and racing off to my moms to stay with her, jump up in the early am get her up and fed then race home to shower dress and off to work. Don't know about you but I don't sleep well other places. The past 5 weeks of her being in the hospital and my dad also in the hosp and off to the emergency room several times and trying to keep up with team responsibilities plus just regular life has been quite the ride. After getting mom up fed and settled then heading home this morn my dad called and asked me to come something was wrong thought he needed to go to the hosp. I took a minute prayed and then raced over. After accessing the situation, did some nurse Davi stuff, got him reassured and settled down I then ran to the store for him and came back home. At that point I just thought I needed take a stroll in the garden for a little quiet time before getting busy doing all the things that have to be done today. It was so peaceful and the sun hitting on the plants looked so pretty thought I would take some pics.

The petunias were so bright and cheery made me smile to see their little faces.

The narcissus were polar opposites of the petunias so quiet and peaceful with the pretty soft white flowers waving in the breeze.

I thought the swirling in the lettuce center was very interesting like looking

down in a little secret hole.

The rabbits decided to go exploring night before last and totally wiped out my broccoli :( and helped themselves to some of the lettuce too . Guess they were full and didnt finish making the rounds to the cabbage which they usually love. While they were making the smorgasbord rounds they also dug test holes Everywhere!! Gotta love those little rascals.

Took a pic of them so you could see the guilty culprits. Just venting a bit and sharing a
few of the pics you might enjoy :)

PIXIE COTTAGE CHALLENGE & PASSIONATELY ARTISTIC

Wednesday means a new challenge over at The Pixie Cottage. Our theme is Last Minute Gifts & Cards and as always you can chose to use the sketch.
Also wanted to say a big thanks to all of your for your thoughts and prayers! Excited to say mom finally got to come home last night. She has a long road to recovery but at least she is home.

This gift set is for my nephew. I started with a recycled cracker can which I covered in red paper. The Three Gingerbread Men image by Tina Akonom is found at Michelle's Scrapbooking & More. I stamped the image twice, water colored and added the white "frosting" trim then cut one of the image into two pieces.
Part of the image was attached to the label cut from the Spellbinder label #20 folded over the bag of candy.
The other whole gingerbread man was added to the tag and attached to the jar full of cocoa mix and marshmallows. After stitching a couple dps together I added the other image to the layers and attached to the can. The top was covered with couple layers cut with the Spellbinder scalloped circle. Then sentiment was cut out with the Spellbinder scalloped oval. Some red ribbons to add a little festive note and viola.

Entering Challenges:
The Ribbon Reel: Anything Goes
Kaboodle Doodles: Colors of Christmas
Creative Card Crew: Tis The Season
Papertake Weekly: Anything goes
My Craft Spot: Christmas treat & Gift packaging
Creative Craft: Stitching real or faux

Passionately Artistic

Now this is to show that snowflakes come in more that just white LOL. A simple little card with a little wreath made by punching lots of snowflakes in several colors of green. Some of them are glittered. After I assembled the wreath a little red bow was added and all was added to the layer of gold paper then again onto the white. A little Merry Christmas sentiment stamped and cut out with a Spellbinder flower die. This is a fun way to quickly decorate a card.

Entering Challenges:

Crafty Sentiments Designs: Snowflakes
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT: Snowflakes & Sparkle
Cards und More: Snowflakes

TUESDAY THROWDOWN CHALLENGE

Such a busy time of year but we hope you will come on over and join us in our new challenge this week at Tuesday Throwdown. The theme is Celebrate the Season. Our lovely images came from our sponsor Robyns Fetish. After water coloring my image I used a little diamond dust glitter to high light to snow. Cut the image out with a Spellbinder label # 16. The snowflakes were punched with a Marvy punch and a little glitter added to them also. The edges were punched with a MS snowflake punch.

Entering Challenges:
Incy Wincy Designs: Non Traditional Christmas Colors

The Crafty Bloggers: Shades of Winter
Pollycraft Monday: Christmas Fun
The Pink Elephant: Snowflakes & Sparkle
Hooked on Crafts: Winter Wonderland

Heart Song Inspiration Challenge

Ready for a new week?? Come on over and join our new challenge at Heart Song...Christmas and/or Red Green & White. My candle image is available at the Heart Song Shop. After water coloring and adding stickles I cut it out. The dp was cut out and foam dotted on to create a frame to set the image into. The sentiment was fancied up with a the little Spellbinder designs and some brads covered with stickles.

Entering Challenges:
The Crazy Challenge: Anything Goes
Come and Get it: Anything Christmas
Truly Madly Crafty: Christmas image & Colors
Catch The Bug: Anything Goes
So Artful: Tis The Season

PIXIE COTTAGE CHALLENGE & PASSIONATELY ARTISTIC

Scroll down for the Passionately Artistic post. Today at the Pixie Cottage week

have a sketch or the theme is Holiday Decor.

I made a Christmas wreath with a bazillion fan medallions, well at least it felt as if I made a bazillion of them! I also made a few of the little folded tube ornaments. While taking care of my mother this holiday week I took lots of strips of paper and made medallions in my spare time. I didn't give much thought to assembly, should have made them smaller. You know the good old hindsight deal lol!Using several different papers by Bo Bunny, Stampin Up and Authentique. Lots of Stickles and a few buttons. My sweet little water colored image is one of the new Pixie Cottage stamps, Not even a mouse found at Michelle's Scrapbooking & More. This will be a little gift to cheer my sweet mom up. The team has some great inspiration for you so stop by.

Entering Challenges:
Fussy and Fancy Friday: A gift/anything but a card
Stamp N Doodle: Red, Green + 1 color
Whimsey Stamps Inspiration: Anything but a card
Pollycraft Monday: Christmas Fun
Craft Your Passion: Tis the season...holiday or winter related

The Crafty Bloggers Network: Anything but a card/ 3D
Stampin' Royalty: Anything but a card

Dream Valley: Sparkle

Verve Holiday Diva Dare:A Handmade Christmas

Passionately Artistic

Passionately Artistic is gearing up for the Christmas holidays. Be sure to stop by and join the linking party this week. As you can see the card is embossed with the snowflake embossing folder, and stitched onto the base. Stickle dots were added to the stars and then they were stacked using foam dots. A webbed ribbon and the sentiment added for a very simple card.

Entering Challenges:
Sassy Cheryl's Digi: Winter

Deep Ocean: C is for.... Christmas

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Stars
Inky Impressions: Peppermint twist

TUESDAY THROWDOWN CHALLENGE

The challenge today at Tuesday Throwdown is a masculine Holiday card. Our sponsor is Dude Time Doodles. My simple card used the water colored images that I cut out and then matted on the dotted swiss embossed mat. A little jeweled holly in the corner. The sentiment is matted on the red cut out with a Spellbinder label and attached with the square brads. The star and tree garland were covered in Stickles. The team has made a some fun man cards, check them out.Lexi's Creations: One for the boys
Paper Creations Ink: Christmas

Craft Your Passion: Tis the Season
Stamps R Us: Emboss it
Incy Wincy Designs: Trees

Heart Song Inspiration Challenge

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Heart Song has a great challenge for you this week! It is a banner and/or buttons. I love banners don't you?
My banner is rather simple today as I have had very little crafting time this week. My mom is home from the hospital and I have been staying with her taking care of her since Wed eve. Sorry I have been MIA but she doesnt have a computer so I have not been able to get around to visit all of you and comment on your creations. Hope to be back on track this week.

I cut out the purple using a Spellbinder banner then stitched on the dotted dp. A few fan fold medallions using a dp with edges frosted with diamond dust Stickles and MS snowflake punch centers. I used the Heart Song Nativity image found Here, and cut out baby Jesus for the center banner.The large stars are cut with a Spellbinder layered with one covered in stickles and then the Cherry Lynn Butterflies added. Stars and snowflakes with lots of silver Stickles along with some buttons for few embellies. There is lots of Stickles making lots of sparkle but just couldnt seem to capture it. The banners are all put together with the old antique crocheted lace. For the sentiment I used part of the Scripture from Luke 2. Come on over and join us!!

Entering Challenges:
Craft Your Days Away: Buttons & bows
Gingerloft: Winter or Christmas
Creative Inspirations: Anything but a card
Allsorts: Pennants
Totally Gorjuss: Sparkle
Hiding in My Craft Room: Holiday any Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving

Just want to say I'm thankful for all my blogging friends, you are the best!! Hope all of you in the have a Wonderful day and
you in the US have a Blessed Thanksgiving.

Just a little fan fold album I made .