12/17/09: Christmas Cards 2009

Okay – so they’ve all been mailed!  All 200+ of them!  Here are my designs for this year’s batch of Christmas cards sent to family and friends.

I made 25 of these (below), using handmade paper for the base, Sizzix die-cut tag, olive green Lumiere paint, black flourish rubber stamp (unknown manufacturer), vintage sheet music, layered flower paper punch (Martha Stewart), gold glittered leaves, gold sentiment sticker (unknown manufacturer), and red & white fibers:

I made 20 of these (below), using kraft paper for the base, topped with corrugated cardboard, music-themed paper ribbon, handmade collages (using vintage sheet music, postage stamps, snowflake punches and gold thread), layered Martha Stewart flower punches, glittered leaves and machine stitching:

I made 20 of these (below), beginning with handmade paper as a base, topped with sheer ribbon w/glittered snowflake pattern, Sizzix die-cut photo corners, Sizzix die-cut mittons (from felt), adhesive gems, scalloped circle punches and a Martha Stewart snowflake punch:

And 20 of these (below), beginning with the same handmade paper for the base, the sheer ribbon w/glittered snowflake pattern, Sizzix die-cut photo corners, Sizzix die-cut mittons (from felt), adhesive gems, metallic silver and blue cardstock scalloped circle punches and a snowflake punch (unknown manufacturer):

20 of these (below), made with cream colored cardstock, red and gold and green cardstock embossed with swirls (Cuttlebug), white photo corners, metallic gold skeleton leaf, red layered paper floral punches (Martha Stewart), gold glitter brad and a photocopied “Noel” image that’s been matted with the same cream colored cardstock:

15 of these (below), made with cream colored cardstock, red cardstock, sage cardstock embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots, metallic gold spray-painted corrugate (from lightbulb packaging!  Thrifty, huh?), red paper poinsettia (unknown manufacturer), red and gold ribbon (unknown manufacturer):

Made 25 of these (below), using two shades of blue cardstock, silver metallic cardstock, snowflake-printed ribbon, Sizzix snowflake die cut from mulberry paper, white snowflake embellishment (unknown manufacturer) and a silver brad:

25 of these (below), using handmade paper for the base, a large silver mesh ribbon, metallic blue foil paper, Sizzix snowflake die cut from vellum, metallic silver photo corners, blue brad, blue & silver fibers, metallic silver & blue snowflake embellishments (unknown manufacturer):

25 of these (below), made with copper faux leather paper, metallic silver mylar strips, a large McGill snowflake punch from white cardstock, metallic silver mylar Sizzix die-cut snowflake, and a glittered wood snowflake embellishment (unknown manufacturer):

And last, but not least, 15 of these (below), using blue and white cardstock, a Sizzix die-cut star from embossed mulberry paper, silver mesh ribbon and a star brad:

And now I’ll start looking for things to use in NEXT year’s design.  

12/16/09: Say Thanks to Deployed Soldiers through Xerox

Can you spare one minute of your time today to send a greeting to deployed soldiers overseas?

12/14/09: Dog versus fire hydrant

Some days you’re the dog… and some days you’re the fire hydrant.  Today’s a fire hydrant sort of day.  Ugh….

12/09/09: Our holiday cards and letter…

As many of you know, I make my own holiday cards, and I THOROUGHLY enjoy doing so.  But our mailing list has crept up to well over 200, so I usually start making them in the summer (focusing on Christmas in July is SOOO cool!). 

So here it is, a week or so before I send them all out (I’m waiting until I get to San Francisco next weekend so David can sign them, too) and I’ve finished most of them (photos to be posted soon). 

And for the first time in a long time, I’ve written a holiday letter to include in the cards.  This isn’t just ANY old holiday letter, but the TRADITIONAL kind – you know, the one with the family photo (that no one keeps) and the accomplishments of all the family members (each of whom resembles the “above average” children of Lake Wobegon). 

If you’re on my mailing list, try not to read any further – I think you’ll be more amused reading the actual letter. 

So without further ado, I present the 2009 Family Photo and holiday letter:

Happy holidays to all our family and friends!

As many of you know, David’s in the Army Reserve and is being sent to the Middle East.  He’s been in pre-deployment training for 2 months, but came home for Thanksgiving, and will be home again for Christmas before leaving in mid-January for over a year.  Cards & letters from home are the items most requested from deployed soldiers, so if you’d like his APO address (which we’ll get in Feb/Mar 2010), contact Katherine.

In other news (and in keeping with “Holiday Letter” traditions), we’re proud to report that our big dog Chuck graduated in the top 5% of his class at Harvard Medical School, has continued his classical violin training (with a solo concert scheduled at Carnegie Hall next spring), and has still made time for charity work at the humane society, where he leads classes for other dogs on “Reaching Your Fullest Potential.”

Not to be outdone by her big brother, our little dog Chippie graduated in the top 5% of her class at Yale School of Law, has continued her classical ballet training (with a show scheduled with the New York Ballet Company in June), and has still made time for her charity work, also – regularly knitting hats, scarves & mittens for the homeless shelter. 

Katherine feels completely inadequate by comparison, because all she does is make art, teach art, and occasionally volunteer for Army stuff    but she couldn’t be more proud of her husband and dogs!

Wishing you a New Year filled with love, joy, peace – and most importantly – laughter,

Katherine, David, Chuck & Chippie

12/07/09: Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

Thanks to Jenny Barnett Rohrs for sharing this.  TodaysMama and ProvoCraft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season, so Jenny suggests filling out this fun little survey, then posting it on your Facebook wall and/or blog, and sending a link to info@todaysMama.com to enter to win yourself!

What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
1) An end to the U.S. involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (or more specifically, to have my husband’s deployment to Iraq cancelled due to pull-outs),
2) Convincing my husband to consider adoption as an alternative to the baby that we had planned to conceive via fertility treatments prior to his mobilization,
3) The L Letterpress Combo Kit (http://www.lifestylecrafts.com/products/comboKit.aspx),
4) The Cricut Expression (http://www.cricut.com),
5) A gift certificate for a couple of Hollander’s workshops (http://www.hollanders.com/workshops)

What favorite handmade gift have you received?
Once, I was complaining to my husband that few people ever send me handmade greeting cards ’cause they worry I’d judge it (as a greeting cards class instructor), when really, I’m elated when I receive ANYTHING handmade, so he went in the other room, folded a small piece of paper in half, drew a heart on the outside, wrote “I love my wifey” on the inside, then brought it out to me. That card is taped to my bedroom wall where I can see it every day.  :-)

What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
Knitted socks. But first I have to learn to knit. 

What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
TWO cassette tape players – one from my parents, and one from Santa – to prove that there really IS a Santa, ’cause what parent in their right mind would buy their child two of the same thing, right??? 

What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
To be born, or to be adopted into my family.  :-)

What is your favorite holiday food?
Fudge.  And cookies.  And peanut brittle.  And… yeah, okay, it’s ALL the sweets – I love them ALL.  :-)

What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
(If you’re a family member or friend, don’t read this, or your surprise will be ruined!)
Large collages on canvas, handbound journals, ornaments, stationery sets and crocheted dish cloths.

What is your favorite holiday movie?
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – I love, Love, LOVE Hermey, the elf who wants to be a dentist.

What is your favorite holiday song?
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by John Rox and sung by Gayla Peevey (http://www.links2love.com/christmas-songs-hippopotamus.htm)

What is your favorite holiday pastime?
Crafting while listening to holiday carols.

So what about you?  What are YOUR answers?