Bits and Pieces

It's been awhile! I've been busy and so much going on! Just thought I'd try to do a "quick" post of little bits of what's been happening in my life. So hard for me to make a short post but I'll try......

First.. I want to THANK SO MUCH my blogger friend, Marilyn, at Mountain Top Spice, for the wonderful goodies she sent to me (below).  She is just so awesome and has the most gorgeous photography on her blog. We like to send each other little things we've made, to try to inspire each other.

BEAUTIFUL garden album made from chipboard. It's 8x8 and just wonderful!

Darling little "junk journal" full of sweet pages and little surprises!

Thank you SO MUCH Marilyn! Your last blog post about Fall was just so beautiful.

I continued on making more Christmas cards in November, and played with some projects that use Christmas cards from the Dollar Tree! Amazing what you can do with one or two 5x7 cards!

Here are two little booklets.. using 1 card each! One is a photo frame to hold two photos, and one is for a 3x5 post it note pad.

Post it Note holder.

On the left, I put acetate with a pocket at top to slide in the photo. On the right, the flowers at the bottom form a pocket to tuck a photo in.

I used a smaller card here, regular A2 size that I had in my stash from last year. This made a darling little photo frame!

The pockets at the bottom and black bows hold the photo in place.

These were so fun to make that I had to rush to the Dollar Tree and get more packs of cards. They are quite sturdy and the photo frame feels like you've used chipboard, but you haven't. Thanks to Posh Paper Lady for her wonderful tutorials on YouTube, using Christmas cards. I have so enjoyed watching her Christmas videos recently. They are unique and fun and I've made many of her projects.

SNOW:  We had a nice little snow storm about a week ago of about 8 inches. I didn't take pictures but here is one I took today. Still some snow left.. and I love that our little vine maple still has some pretty red leaves on it.

Snow almost gone. It was so cold and so much ice on the roads! I'm so glad it's almost all melted and we are now having some warmer temperatures for a week or so.

TRIP:  We took a fun (though exhausting) trip up to Astoria, OR to see my son and his fiance and her son. Before we went, I did most of my Christmas shopping for them, and wrapped the gifts and packed in the car.  It's about a 5-1/2 hour trip and I did almost all of the driving as my husband is still having trouble with getting contacts that work for him for driving. He just can't see t drive, especially at night. There was a 2 hour night drive the last night coming home, and I drove and it was awful! The roads were covered with packed snow and ice and gravel, and it was so hard to see as I was driving curvy and winding roads in pitch black. 

My son and his fiance are in their new/old place (that they remodeled all summer) and had just moved in about 3 days prior to Thanksgiving. So they were exhausted, and yet she still managed to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

Beautiful long old oak table all set for the feast. Their kitchen is huge with big windows looking outside to the woods. I loved their place and was so glad to see it finally.

This is an 8 foot oak table that my son refinished for his sweet lady. It had been in storage for a long time and he did a beautiful job. Look at all the kitchen cupboards and those beams. Love it.  (Ignore the waste can!)

Their house is a 2 bedroom, rustic, on 1 acre in the woods south of Astoria, OR. What a lovely place! I love all the trees there, and tons of blackberry bushes, which I miss so much here.

Lots of old growth timber on their property. My son has so many plans for trails in the woods, benches to sit on and a little "man cabin". I'm so happy for him. He's 41 and this is the first home he's ever owned.

After our 4 day visit, we planned to head home. Got a call that morning, early, that my husband's son's wife was on her way to the hospital to have their baby! She wasn't due until December 18th, but how fortunate that it was then, and right on the way home! So we stopped on the way and I got to hold my sweet little step-granddaugher, Izzy. She is my husband's son's first child. So many firsts!

BUNDLE OF JOY!!

ANOTHER TRIP:  Now.. I'm heading out tomorrow to go to my chiropractor 5 hours away. During all this time (between mid October and now) I've somehow gotten a pinched nerve or something in my neck and shoulder, and have been having pretty bad pain from it. Have tried two chiropractors here where I live but both have just made it worse. So time to go to my "miracle worker" who I know can fix it.  So I'll be staying there for 4 days so that I can go see him twice for adjustments.  I really don't want to make that long trip alone, but no choice, as with pain, there is no quality of life and I can't do what needs to be done!

So if I don't post until after Christmas, everyone have a wonderful December and Christmas celebration. We are staying home this year... may make a short run to my sister's 70 miles away, but that's not so bad - weather permitting of course.

Happy Holidays!

~Marilyn~

Strips, poinsettias and tea pockets

Hello friends on this beautiful Autumn day! It's November 1st.... let the holidays begin!  I can't believe my last post was about camping on Labor Day, and now I'm talking about Christmas. 

I've been on a roll making Christmas cards... can you believe it? I started on the weekend of September 28th when my sister came for a visit and we decided to work on Christmas cards. She spent the night and we played both days. We spread out on my dining room table, plus a card table. What fun!

This is while it was still neat and tidy.

My sister is a very fast card maker. She used bits and pieces from my scraps from last year. While she made 15 cards the first day, I maybe made three!  Maybe I was too busy yakking? The second day I did better.  I decided to make some strip cards.... cutting up strips from all of my older Christmas papers, and using the strips in different ways on the cards. I hadn't really planned this, but in seeing my big/huge box of scraps, I decided I just HAD to use them up.

Here are some of the cards I made:

I glued strips on the paper, either diagonally or straight across.

On this one, I glued strips to paper, and then die cut it out into a label for the card.

Here are my scraps and then the strips I cut. Was fun going through all my scraps.. there were papers from 6 years ago!

I probably made about 20 strip cards.  And did I mention poinsettias? I bought a die last year for my Sizzix machine, for a pretty poinsettia, and I went kind of nuts that weekend, making poinsettias. I must have made 20 or 30..... and I cut some wreaths from a cute die I bought awhile ago, and Christmas stockings.

The poinsettia making was all done on our first day. That's probably why I only got 3 cards made!

Many most of my cards have poinsettias on them now. They are SO pretty and they look so real. I used alot of my vintage printables that I've either bought from Etsy, or downloaded for free from various websites that offer them for free. 

I made most of my poinsettias using glitter paper on at least one set of the petals. Pictures don't do them justice.

Glitter glitter everywhere! You just can't see it.

Some of my cards I "distressed" with brown ink so that they look very old and vintage. 

This card is "plain and simple".... hard for me to do.. but I wanted to try one using just red and white. I used an embossing folder from Stampin' Up for the birch trees. I quite like it!

Just about every card has glittered areas on the vintage picture. I used Stickles (glitter glue) in either gold or crystal white. Again, these photos just don't show how really pretty the cards are.

My sister and I also made some paper cone wreaths. I had just watched a YouTube video by MayMayMade It. I love her and she makes wonderful and fun projects. We both made a Christmas wreath, using up more of my scraps. You use 4x4 inch pieces of paper for each cone, and each wreath has 13 cones.

Here is the link to May May's video: Paper Folded Cone Wreath  The cones are actually flat on one side and very easy to make. Since then, I also made an autumn wreath, using 3 inch squares. These are fun and addictive. Our larger wreaths measure about 13 inches across. My smaller autumn wreath is about 9" across.

The little embellishment on the point of each cone is from some digital paper I had.... I fussy cut out each little picture! Glitter added of course!

I have been making cards since the end of September and finally am winding down (from card making anyway). There are other things I want to work on. I actually cleaned up my MESS yesterday and put the card table away. I stubbed my toe once too many times from the leg sticking out and in my way.. so decided it was time.

So... October has been a total crafting month for me and I don't think I'm ready to slow down yet. 

I had made quite a few items for the little shop here in town, but she has moved and her new shop isn't open yet, and it may not be in time for the holidays, so I decided to put the goodies in my Etsy shop.  

I especially had fun making these triangle tea pockets... each one holds two little 3x3 cards and envelopes, and there is room to tuck in a little tea bag and sweet treat.

Etsy link: Triangle pocket with gold bow

Etsy shop link: Triangle pocket

Etsy link: Triangle pocket with pink bow

This is just a few of the sweet little triangle pockets. I love them and loved this vintage looking paper. It matches a couple of photo albums I have in my shop.

Etsy link: Vintage 4x6 accordian album

Etsy link: Vintage 4x6 spiral bound photo album

This little album has many pockets and tags.

And I've also been on a roll making some darling little 3" x 6" brag books. Some are vintage looking, and two are more of a fun, whimsical summer style. 

Etsy link: Brag book vintage with photo mats

Photo mats are tucked inside the pockets.

Etsy link: 3x6 brag book, Treasure the Time

These little brag books are great for holding 3x3 photos and will hold about 24.

Tiny flip book (measures 3" x 4" - holds a tea bag):

Etsy link: Tea themed flip book

I have added many more goodies to my Etsy shop, so if you want to go browse a little, here's a link to my shop: My Pink Paper Cottage. I've added some pretty gift boxes and gift bags, and there also a few Christmas photo albums listed.  I hope to add some more tea themed flipbooks, teabag  holder folders and some teapot Christmas cards (these are SO CUTE!).  I may also add some of my special 5x7 cards to my shop that I just made. They are just hard to showcase online and the beauty of each card doesn't come through.. but I may add a few.

I also have a special shipping offer now... FREE SHIPPING for any orders over $35.00. And during November and December, everything is 10% off.  Great time for purchasing gifts for the special gals in your life.

I hope you don't mind my promoting my Etsy shop once in awhile here on my blog. I really don't use social media, like Instagram and Twitter, or have a "business" Facebook page. And I love sharing my creations... so like to share here now and then. If you mind, let me know!

We are still experiencing some nice Fall weather here, but night time temps have dropped into the teens and single digits.  Our fireplace is being well used already!

Bye for now ladies and gents....

~Marilyn~