Christmas Traditions

Earlier in the month I taught My Heritage Scrapbooking Workshop...The topic of discussion was the importance of Family Traditions. We all have traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and these traditions do evolve and change.

This year I had to change a family tradition...I figure about the middle of March I might be over the trauma I have been going through with this change of tradition.

 I grew up with a live Christmas tree and when I got married we continued the tradition...only my darling husband and I went out in the woods (with permit in hand) and cut down our Christmas Tree.

It became our tradition. 

 This year the tradition changed...we purchased an artificial Christmas Tree. I was about in tears over the whole ordeal. An artificial tree does not have the same look, feel or fragrance as a real tree. It doesn't even decorate the same! I reminded myself that I'm a floral designer and It's my job to make botanical look good. We did get the tree up (2 days before Christmas) and it looks...Okay. But I don't think I will ever it comfortable with the idea of an artificial tree. Hopeful I won't break into tears next year when we pull it out of the box. Oh great...now I need to find a place to store the darn thing!

Chickens, Birthdays and Ferris Bueller

Remember the quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off...

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around

 once in a while, you could miss it."

Sure you do...

That is a pretty good description of  my November...it moved pretty fast and I missed most of it.

November does have some birthdays in it of family and friends. My Darling Daughters birthday is the beginning of the month ( I didn't miss that). DD raises chickens in her backyard, they lay beautiful brown, blue and green eggs. In honor of DD's birthday I created a  chicken Birthday Card...

  

 I used Bundled Sage and Antique Linen distress ink, Prima flowers and Tim Holtz tissue tape...

I found the text on Pinterest...it was too funny to pass up.

 

All about Alice

As you might know,  Alice's life changed forever when she tumble down the rabbit hole and arrived in a fantasy world called WONDERLAND.

Of course an adventure such as that has inspired the creating of

“ALICE TAGS” 

Alice's long fall down the hole ends at a hall of doors in various sizes...

all locked. She finds a key to a door too small for her to fit through.

Of course our heroine finds a bottle that is labeled “DRINK ME”, and contains a magical potion to make Alice small enough to fit through the little door.

There is a curious tea party hosted by a Mad Hatter and his friend the March Hare

 (and a sleepy door mouse)

They are all waiting for Alice to join them...she's late!

The white rabbit is the court's trumpeter for the King and Queen of Hearts.

The big question is...who stole the Queen's tarts, that she made all in a summer day?

Is that cat sitting on the book Alice's cat Dinah...or the Cheshire Cat?

Hum...curious and curiouser

San Francisco, Birthday Cards and incense...

"I've been high...I've been low...I've been yes and I've been oh hell no...I've been rock 'n' roll and disco...Won't you save me San Francisco?"

Yes I'm singing it out loud...you might want to put your hands over your ears. 

I love this song by Train...beside being such a fun song, it' reminds me of what a fantastic place San Francisco is to visit. 

I have been trying to come up with an idea for a birthday card for my DS...who lives in SF, and here is where all these rambling thoughts come together...

 A vintage San Francisco image birthday card.

The image was printed on a transparency and burned around  the edges with incense. I layered patterned paper, printed transparency, tissue tape, distress ink, some cool braid.

So San Francisco did save me...because as we all know it's tough to come up with  guy cards. 

Baby Tags

I've been playing with TAGS again...this time it's all about the BABY.

 This cute baby boy image is from a vintage woman's magazine cover. Bits of lace, blue checked patterned paper, some Stickles (blinging up the bath water), distress ink and a blue butterfly charm

For a baby girl it's all about the PINK ... vintage baby girl card image, ribbon, Stickles, pink patterned paper, a doilie, distress ink and a pink ribbon flower.

I put the cap on the Stickles for this antique looking tag... vintage baby photo and buggy ad, ecru lace, distress ink, tissue tape, and 3 three old buttons from a button box.