Family Christmas

For the very first year, I did not have Christmas.  David, our eldest, offered to have us all, and gratefully I accepted.  My knee surgery was not quite a week old, and I was glad to be able to sit for the most part.

Amy made Swedish meatballs with help from Tommy and John, and Erin made the beautiful tea rings from my last post.  Tom made his fabulous corn casserole that we all missed on Thanksgiving.

David regaled us with rib roasts, spinach and cheese, and baked potatoes stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon (oh boy......that put me right over the top).  Sarah made us dips and plenty of Chex Mix (my personal fav!).

The day before my surgery, Cousin Greg came and we made kruppkakor together - we've talked about doing it for years, and finally did - and I also made pickled pears and sylta, so we ended up with a Swedish Christmas after all.

There was WAY TOO MUCH food altogether, and by dinner time, Jay and I passed, going instead for a little nosh.

Everyone was pleased with presents.  You can see our happy faces in this picture taken by Nate's girlfriend Samantha.

I hope your Christmas was as happy as ours was.....the only comment Jay and I made to each other was that we couldn't believe how fast the grands had become adults!

On the left: David, Sarah, Sam, and Nate in front.
Center:  Jay and me (with one steristrip on my knee)
Right:  Amy and Tom, Erin, John, and Tommy in front.

Oh YUM!

Our talented granddaughter Erin, at Culinary School, has outdone her grandmother (ME!) by not only making our family favorite Swedish Tea Ring, but decorating it as well!

Apparently she made it for a class, and it has become a huge hit......and well it should, as it is as delicious as it looks!!  Brava Erin!!!

CCEE1649 Gingerbread

From Maryann:

"According to the Days f the Year Web Site, the 10th of December is Gingerbread Decorating Day, and the 12th of December is Gingerbread House Day.  So for our challenge this week, let's include something gingerbread related on our cards."

I just love this new set from SU with the gingerbread boy and girl, and used them to add to my Double Z Fold card.

Please join us in this our last challenge for the year.  Post your card HERE.

Greetings from Montpelier VT!

This morning I am posting two pictures I got from our granddaughter at Culinary School.  The first is the landscape as she walked from her apartment VERY EARLY to her pastry class......I think she leaves before 5:30 AM.

She called it "Walking in a Winter wonderland, and it sure is gorgeous!

Then this is her Final Exam in her Laminations class.........Cruffins (a croissant in the shape of a muffin), with brown butter pastry cream, and maple sugared pecans on top.  They sold out immediately at the school bakery in downtown Montpelier.  And no wonder!!

I just hate it when she sends pictures of her pastry.....I salivate for nothing!!!  But...........

WAY TO GO, ERIN !!

CCEE1648 RED!

Maryann is our Hostess for the month of December, where we have only two challenges.

She tells us, "Today is 'Eat a RED Apple Day', so in the spirit of Christmas let's create something includes the color RED."  How perfect is that for ME!!!!!

Join us in making a RED card, and post yours HERE on our blog.

CCEE1647 Pins and Needles

For her last Challenge, Frances told us :

Sunday, November 27th is Pins and Needles Day, which commemorates the opening of a historical Broadway play called Pins and Needles.  This week, let's create cards with a sewing theme, using either stamps, dies, papers, buttons, pins, needles, or any combination of the above.

Inside, my card says "What's Up?"

My stamps are from MFP, and I used the dress form die from PTI, along with the chevron dies, and an oval Nestie.

Please join us, linking your card HERE.

CCEE1646 Bear

Frances tells us yesterday was "Have a Party with Your Bear Day", so to celebrate, she challenged us to feature bears on our cards this week.

These images are from Stampendous.  Of course, this card will go to one of our grands!

Join us on our blog with your card of a bear HERE.

WInter Trees

I don't usually post the cards I make daily......they are always on SplitCoastStampers if you really want to see them. (Or on Pinterest)  Today was the exception.

I followed the sketch that's posted every Wednesday.

I turned it 90 degrees, and made my card.  Here it is.

The trees in the front take the place of three of the circles, and for the fourth I die cut and sponged two clouds.

When I had it all done, it looked a little sparse, so I punched out some RED birds.  Still not finished looking, I sprayed the whole card with White Linen to make snow.  Then it was done.

I love the look of the gently sponged sky with soft clouds, and the pines in the background.  I hope you like it too.  If you are looking at this card, and you receive it in the mail for Christmas, you won't be surprised, but in real life, the cards are much better in person!

Stamps: Inkadinkado, Paper Co. Studio

Inks: Cool Caribbean, Handsome Hunter (Stampin' Up), Ranger White Linen Spray

Paper: White, RED, Hunter

Dies: Memory Box clouds, Dee's Winter Tree

CCEE1645 Origami

Frances tells us:

"Tomorrow, November 11th is Origami Day.  Let's include something origami on our cards.  It could be a folded shirt, dress, crane, a folded box - whatever you like."

I made an origami doll, following this SCS tutorial.  At first I went to Pinterest, and tried a bat, then a frog, and ended up more confused than when I started!!!  This one looks so easy, but it's NOT!!!

If you are brave, join us, and link your origami piece to our blog HERE.

CCEE1644 Wobble

Frances is our Hostess for the month of November....  Here is her first challenge:

"The 2nd of November was Wobbly Wednesday, the day to bring awareness to a condition called Nystagmus, a non-stop and uncontrolled movement of the eyes, symptomatic of problems with the visual system of the brain and body.  For our challenge this week, let's add something wobbly on our card....it could be those fun wobbly eyes, action wobbles or some other form of movement on your card."

I just love this image and saying from Your Next Stamp, and after cutting it out, added an action wobble to the back of the light bulb for a little fun.  This card will go to one of my grandsons.

Feel free to join us, adding your card to our blog HERE.

CCEE1643 Recipe Card

For her last challenge, Joanne gives us a recipe:
 Circular and square elements
 Flower(s)
 Dry Embossing
 Bling

This was really fun!!

The Chloe Stems are the circular element.  The 2 layer flowers have little tiny rhinestones inside them.  I added leaves and a ribbon, and distressed the edges of the squares.  This card is in very soft shades of green and tan, and was hard to photograph, so I've added a little description.

Thanks for looking.  Please join the team for a look at what they have done, and add your card to our blog HERE.

CCEE1642 One Layer card

This week Joanne has a double Challenge for us:  First you must make a true one layer card....nothing popped up or embellished. Second the card must have a Halloween or Thanksgiving theme.

My card is made with the Autumn Days set from Stampin' Up.  I used only markers rubbed on the stamps, in RED, orange, olive, and brown, on tan paper.  The sentiment is also SU.

Please join us, linking your card on our BLOG, where you can see the cards made by the rest of the team.  Be sure to be here next week for Joanne's last challenge.

CCEE1641 World Sight Day

For Joanne's second challenge, she says'

"Today is World Sight Day.  Include glasses, eye charts, or a sentiment related to one's sight on your card."

I thought this would make a fun tall card!!  Isn't the sentiment just perfect for the image??

Please join us HERE.

CCEE1640 Get Well

Joanne begins the month of October as our hostess.  For her first challenge, she says:

"Today is Physician's Assistant Day.  In honor of that, let's make get well cards."

I started with the sentiment from Inky Antics, and went into my OLD Christmas stamps for this angel from Stampin' Up.  Lots of vanilla and purple, and a pretty print.  I hope you like it.

Please join us HERE on our blog with your get well card, and check out what the rest of the team has done..

CCEE1639 Christmas/Winter

Today, as her last challenge, Lois says,

"Summer is over.  Let's make a Christmas and/or Winter card."

I made a Z-fold card, using Tapestry stamps in RED and green.

Please join us, linking your card HERE.

CCEE1638 Follow the List

This week Lois has given us a list to follow:

Include on your card (1) animal
                                  (2) layers
                                  (3) colors (plus neutrals - black, white, gray - if you wish)

I used gray for the words and the fox, and white paper.  On this I used dp in green, pink, and blue.  I think all this fits the list.

Please join us, posting you card HERE.  See you next week!

CCEE1637 Just Die Cuts

Lois gave us the new challenge:  Make a card with NO stamping - just die cuts.

I used die cut circles, flowers, ferns, and pennants.

Thanks for looking.  I hope you will want to join us.  If you do, please link to our blog HERE.

CCEE1636 W-O-R-D

Lois gave us a word challenge this week - the word being WORD.  Include something on your card that begins with each of the letters in W-O-R-D.

Today is also our 53rd anniversary!!  This card will go to my DH.  Inside it says, "thanks for all you do"!

W = white;  O = owl;  R = round;  D = doily

Please feel free to join us HERE, where you can see the rest of the team, and post your own entry.

See you again next Thursday!

Halloween Accordian

Here are the panels of the Halloween Accordian I made with the 5 Little Pumpkins, a finger play for Kindergarteners:

This is the outside (first panel)

2nd panel

Next:

Next:

Last:

And this is what it looks like open a bit.

Tied with a ribbon, I think it's kinda cute!

CCEE1635 Bokeh Background

Our hostess for the month of September is Lois.  Her first challenge to us is to use a simple technique - Bokeh Background, which can be found HERE.

I used green galore and only orange for my Bokeh circles, since I wanted to keep the carrot colors.  I also stamped the carrot inside the card.

Please join us, linking your card HERE.

CCEE1634 Herbs

According to Liz's research, it is More Herbs, Less Salt Day!! Herbs and plants add so much to our lives, so in honor of this unusual day, make a card with an herb or plant on it. I know we have lots of followers who love gardening, so any of these images would work great. You might even want to add colors that are named after herbs and plants: sage, thyme, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, celery, olive, or cocoa, as well as all those you can think of. Have fun with it.

You can post your card with your comments HERE, or you can post it to SCS using CCEE1634 as your keyword.

Today I was a little off-beat.........hope you don't mind a little humor!!

CCEE1633 Aviation

Tomorrow is Liz's birthday,  and also Orville Wright's. Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation to make it National Aviation Day, to honor Orville Wright. She thought it would be fun to hunt down an image of something man has made fly in the air. It might be an airplane, helicopter, rocket, jet, or hot air balloon. If none of these are available to you, how about a kite or a simple birthday balloon? Our bonus can be to make it a birthday card!!!

 Happy Birthday Liz!!!

Please join us in wishing Liz a Happy day by adding to our blog HERE!

Shades of Pink!

Yesterday Amy drove us to Montpelier to see the Cake class at NECI to see the Wedding Cakes the students had made.  Erin's was of course the most beautiful, and by far the yummiest.  The theme she was given was shades of pink.  This was harder for her than you might think..........Pink was her favorite color when she was teeny, but not anymore!!  Tiffany blue took over years ago.

Here is the cake she made, with her standing behind it so you can see the wire she bent into the shape of "LOVE":

This is her set-up on pink with flowers on the table and champagne in the flutes.

After we had a chance to appreciate all the work that went into the cakes, she removed the top layer,

Then, her Chef  showed her how to cut it for us to taste!!  Woo-hoo!

Here are the other cakes with their themes:

The Beach

Ombre green (He had to make the bow 25 times before it came out right!

Shades of Blue

Peach?

Chef gave the the remainder of the bottom layer (four cake layers and the filling was raspberry cream cheese!!) to us to take home for those who couldn't go !!

After the tasting we went to Erin's apartment to wait for her, out for lunch(!), shopping, then the 3 hour ride home, part of which was in a DELUGE!!  

Thanks for looking.

P.S.  I should have added that also along for the tasting was her boyfriend Nick and Terri, his mother.  Nick doesn't like sweets (can you imagine???), but he did take a taste and approved of her work!!

CCEE1632 Fish

Liz again with this week's challenge. The month of August is National Catfish Month. Fishing is a year round sport and hobby around where I live, especially saltwater fishing. So, for the challenge this week, find a fish, or someone fishing and it might make a perfect masculine card for your stash!!

I used the large F from SU, and added fish and dewdrops, cut out some water plants, and that's it!

See you next week!

CCEE1631 Sisters Day

 Sister’s Day! Liz is here as the hostess for August. Here's her  new challenge:

 "As many of you know, or perhaps you don’t, Lynn and I are sisters. When we were asked to join the CCEE team at the same time, we both thought it would be fun to be doing this together. So, for your sister card, find an image of a pair or group of ladies or girls who just might be sisters doing things that sisters like to do."

Here's mine:

Aren't these little girls adorable??

Please join us, and be sure to link your card HERE !

See you next week.

Our Fabulous Fisherman

Yesterday, the crown was passed.  My DH, Jay, has been the "cham-peen" fisherman in the family for many years.  He caught a mail bag, and a snapping turtle off the Floating Bridge in Lynn MA as a kid.  Later, in Wellfleet, on the Cape, with squid for bait, he caught 2 sandsharks and 2 squids.  Amazing, right?

The trophy now goes to our grandson Jake, shown here on the day he got his license and car this month.

Yesterday, he drove alone to our house to celebrate his 17th birthday with fun socks (tigers, zebras, and ice cream cones ~ he LOVES fun socks!) and a check.  While he was here, he treated us to this story:

He was fishing with his other grandfather and two family friends, and fell asleep in the boat with his line in the water.  He woke  up when he realized he had something on the end....a BASS.  The only one that was caught during his annual fishing week.

Later, they were trolling, and he felt a little pull, thinking it was weeds, so he pulled up his line to find on the end of the hook.......... Wait for it...........a CLAM!

We all felt it was only fair to give the honor of fabulous fisherman to Jake, for catching fish while sleeping, and catching a clam with a rod and reel.  I'm sure you'll agree he is worthy!

CCEE1630 CHOCOLATE!

Joanne, for her last challenge this month says,

"Today is National Milk Chocolate Day.  Let's make some deeeelish designs showing chocolate in some form or using the color chocolate."

I did both:

Please join us HERE

May I brag???

Our beautiful granddaughter Erin, most of you know, is at New England Culinary Institute in VT.  Here is her latest creation for her cake class:  The theme is SUMMER ----

She says it's a lemon-raspberry gateau.  Here's a look at it more from the side:

Isn't it the most amazing looking cake?  I think I could eat some of this (or all of it) by myself!!!

It was so gorgeous I just had to share a look at it!!!

CCEE1629 Beach

Joanne's all-time favorite place is anywhere there is a beach.  She has challenged us to create a card that honors beaches.

I love the beach too!  Please join us HERE

CCEE1628 Cows

Tomorrow is National Cow Appreciation Day!!!  And you didn't even know this, I'll bet!

Joanne's challenge says,

"Let's create a card with a cow or two on it.  If you happen not to have cow images, then use another "farm" animal.  Please add a fun sentiment OR make it a get well card."

I chose to make a get well card, using a fun image from Whipper Snapper and some Rusty Pickle paper.

Please join us, linking your card HERE

CCEE1627 Ice Cream!

Joanne is our hostess for the month of July.  She tells us it is National Ice Cream month.  Our challenge is to celebrate by having some ice cream on our cards.

Please join us by linking your card HERE, and join us again next wee,!

CCEE1626 Mixed Media

Vicky'l last challenge is to use mixed media.  She says this is a real challenge to her, and it is to me too!

I had started this tag ages ago, and completely revamped it for this as a mixed media.  I used two different stencils, using spray distress ink and then gesso.  I added the rest on top.  That's about as mixed as I get!

Please join us, posting HERE.

Happy Anniversary!

Twenty-one years ago today, we watched our beautiful daughter Amy marry the love of her life, Tom.  Here they are then:

And today:

Happy memories of that day.........and more happy days to come!  We love you both so much!!