Our Christmas Card {2011}

With the last of our Christmas Cards finally in the mail...I can now share with you here. 

I've made (aka taken a picture and had it printed off at Costco) our Christmas Cards for the past couple of years. The difference this year is that I put a little more thought into it.

I think it came out wonderfully; however, I wish I would have thought about the printing portion of making the cards a little more.  I would have loved to have had it printed on card stock, rather than photo paper.

Eh, there's always next year.

But until then, here's what we have:

I insisted that our 16 year old niece, Abby, (who came to live with us back in October) be a part of the card. After a few hours of prodding, she finally gave in! ;) Love that girl.

That picture of Nic is so....... Nic. Had to include it! ;)

So, there you have it... our 2011 Christmas Card.

Speaking of Christmas Cards... I found one I thought was pretty darn adorable in blog land this week...

Michelle, of Michelle Paige, did a cute job of putting her cards together... in the CAR!
Here's a sneak peak, but please visit Michelle to see how she made it all possible.

Favorite Christmas Projects, Decor & Craftiness {2/12}

I didn't have to search high and low to find another blog I wanted to share with you.

First and foremost, the pictures on this blog are *amazing.* But more than that, the ideas shared by Amanda are sweet and delightful.

Picture Via

This is a Winter Wonderland party. But just taking a few minutes to go through Amanda's blog, Shindig Parties TO GO, you can totally step into a world where the bright colors and fun themes will knock your socks off.


You must go check out Amanda's blog. It's inspiring.
To say the least.

Favorite Christmas Projects, Decor & Craftiness {1/12}

I would have missed the opportunity to spotlight Sally had she simply overlooked the thumbnail pic of my mini*mantel that I shared on Craft-O-Maniac's blog yesterday. Not only did Sally stop by, she left a lovely comment. It made me follow her to her blog and take a gander at what she has going down.

I am *smitten*...

She has a beautiful home... and her Christmas decorations are amazing.  Which is why I am spotlighting her as my first Favorite Christmas Projects, Decor & Craftiness. 

Look at her railing...

I wish I would have thought to swag my garland like that. Maybe I should call out a "do-over"...

But even better than that... Look at this table/mini-mantel:

It's all sparkly and merry and bright!

But even better than that... Look at her tree!!!:

You need to go visit Sally at Love of Homes and see what else she has going on in her lovely home. She has some wonderful {and cheap} holiday decoration tutorials.

Who has two thumbs and loves wonderful and cheap?

This girl:

Let the Winter Holidays begin!

With Thanksgiving over... it's time to start getting ready for CHRISTMAS!

Next weekend is Nic's birthday party, so we will be super busy with that... but shortly after, I am starting my Twelve Crafts for Christmas and also my Favorite Things posts.

In fact... here's the schedule for Favorite Things...

I hope you come back on December 4th to see a few of my favorite sites & people!
And remember, if you are interested in sharing, please email me at QOTC@Cox.net or simply click on the email icon on the right sidebar.

Happy Holidays!

Merry & Cheery & More {Announcement}

I am trying really hard to give Thanksgiving its time in the spotlight... but I have to admit, I am getting very excited for Christmas.

I've decided to do something new this holiday season...
As with Halloween and Thanksgiving, I am going to focus on hand-making our festive holiday decor. Some brainstorming today led me to this:

I am challenging myself to make at least 12 homemade decorations for around the house. I will be sharing them with you, every other day during the month of December.

Exciting right?!

It doesn't end there, though.

During the other days of the month, leading up to Christmas day, I will be doing what I do best...
visiting every blog I can to find amazing Christmas projects, decor and more.

I will be sharing {and linking back to} a few blogs during each post. I applaud all of the crafty and creative people - it takes time, patience and talent to come up with beautiful things!

So... there you have it! I hope you'll visit QOTC often during the month of December to take a gander at all projects; mine and theirs. I may even try my hand at a linky party... Oooo! Something to check back for, for sure!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming Thanksgiving.