Making Christmas Cards

I am getting an early start on making some of my Christmas cards for this season. I really enjoy making cards and with all the beautiful supplies available to me this year from my favorite scrapbooking store, One Page at a Time, I just can't help myself.

If you read any of my posts last Christmas season you know about my "Christmas Gift" story. It is a family tradition to be the first one Christmas morning to say "Christmas Gift" to another one of the family. It was a tradition handed down for many years my grandmother said. My kids always thought we were corny when we did this, but I think it means as much to them now as it does to me.

Grandma Jessie is no longer with us and it gives me a sense of closeness to her when I remember how she laughed when she got to say it first. That is why I am including it in my cards.

I have learned through my blog that it is not only MY family tradition, but a lot of families played this sweet game during the 1800's. Back then if you said it first, you were presented with an extra gift. But we didn't do that, just had fun trying to be the first one.

Hope you enjoyed my cards and my little story!!!

Hugs

Ginger

Pink Saturday/Launch Party

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY fellow bloggerettes!!!!!! A couple of weeks ago, my Pink Saturday post was about my question of what you thought I should do about decorating in my mainly pink and white home. Whether to go with the traditional fall colors or use something to match with my pinks.

I received lots of wonderful ideas, and I thank each and every one of you for the ideas. I am also linking this post to CREATING VINTAGE CHARM LAUNCH PARTY. Be sure to go over and see all the creative posts on this first publishing of a new magazine you're going to love. I ordered mine online today. Be sure and check it out.

I have decided I am going with the pinks and fru-fru through Halloween, then I am taking the pink down for the holidays and going with the fall colors. Just wouldn't be the same without the pretty fall colors on Thanksgiving. And my kids would love the traditional colors better I think when they come to Thanksgiving dinner.

I made this cute fabric pumpkin to go with my other pumpkins. So easy to whip up. I just cut out a big circle of fabric, basted the outside of the circle and gathered it up partially. Then I stuffed it with pillow stuffing, gathered it the rest of the way and tied that off. Then I put hot glue on the top where it all gathered to hold it together for good. I tied string around the pumpkins 6 times to make the pumpkin indentions, easy peasy. Then added ribbon and flowers. Love the way it turned out.

Be sure and visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound and visit the links on her blog to see many more pink ladies treasures. Have a wonderful weekend and "make something beautiful".

Hugs to all

Ginger

Halloween Card Class

Busy day... Saturday....OU football, a Halloween card class and a parade!!!!

It was our local Sooner Celebration in Okla. and a Halloween card class.

I think this was my favorite.

I redid the flowers on this one later, wasn't happy with the way they covered up the cute little bunny here.

Or maybe this one, I liked them all.

Before this class my daughter, Mom and I watched the Sooner celebration parade downtown. This was the color guard.

And of course you can't have a Sooner celebration without longhorn cattle.

Or clowns!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who don't know what a Sooner Celebration is, it was the day that began the land run. The ones who sneaked over the line before the shot was fired to go and got a head start (baaaad sports) were called Sooners and weren't very well liked by the ones who did it by the rules. Somehow the name Sooners stuck and even one of our college football teams are named the Sooners.

Well, I tried to get rid of that goofy picture of me and the clown but didn't work so guess I'll just live with it!!!

Ginger

Pink Gumdrop Saturday

I was looking around at Hobby Lobby the other day and saw this gigantic PINK gumdrop in the Christmas items. I thought it was really cute and it gave me some ideas of some things I could make for my gingerbread Christmas tree I put in the kitchen at Christmas time. Think I will make some lollipops (with glitter of course), some different colored gumdrops (glittered) and some pink and white candy canes (you guessed it). Just had to buy it.

See how big it is????

My roses are having their last hoo-rah before winter. They always bloom their most beautiful in the early fall when it is cooler outside. Kind of like me I guess, I have started a walking regime and I walk a mile each day on my lunch break from work. Why didn't I start this when I was 30? I love how it makes me feel. (after I'm done, LOL) I walk around the square and see things I have never noticed before and I have lived here most of my life.

This post isn't all PINK! Had to show you the Halloween card I made. Three witches having tea!!!

Aren't they cute?

And this cutey witch is the inside of the card. "Best Witches".......

Be sure and visit Bev at How Sweet the Sound for more Pink goodies. The list of ladies is really growing from when I first started a year ago.

Isn't this ribbon the prettiest ribbon? I can't get enough of it. My studio table is a mess............

guess I have some cleaning to do this weekend. Thank God its Saturday, Pink Saturday that is!!!!!!!!!

Hugs

Ginger

Feeling Fallish

The weather is changing and I am getting in the fallish mood. Not wanting to take down my pink roses decor, right now I am just adding some pumpkins in to match what I have now.

So I bought some orange pumpkins at my local Hobby Lobby for under $4.00 each, used my off white acrylic paint and gave them a couple of coats of paint and added some glitter (of course) to make them sparkly!!!!!! I left the bigger one to show some of the darker color showing through, like a wash. Think it turned out pretty.

Felt as though I must have some pink candies along side of these pumpkins so molded some oven bake clay into forms close to Candy Corn and painted them pink and added glitter to them too (of course). The glitter hides any imperfections you make during the molding and painting process.

Added a few roses to the pumpkins after they dried along with this beautiful ribbon in green and pink colors. Also put in a couple of pieces of tulle for added effect.

Don't they look just good enough to EAT? Well, almost!!!!

Placed them in a silver tray my DH painted white for me, added an antique doily, added a few pearls to one of the pumpkins, and now I am feeling fallish!! LOL... Like them so well, I think I will make some bigger ones.

This was so fun to do and not expensive at all, total cost maybe $12.00 for both pumpkins and the clay for the Candy Corn. Think of the possibilities of colors you could do!!! Have fun creating.

Hugs

Ginger

May We Never Forget

This Pink Saturday post is dedicated to all the lives lost on this day 9 years ago. May we never forget how we felt that day. Everyone has their own story of their memory of "where they were when they heard the horrible news" and then when the second plane hit, we knew what was happening. I was at work and we were celebrating a birthday of our co-worker. One by one each plane that crashed into a target horrified us all and we felt we were in a nightmare. How could this be happening in OUR country? People unified. I remember all the politicians lined up in front of the Pentagon that evening singing God Bless America (If I remember right, I think thats what they sang) But I thought that was so touching our leaders were just like the rest of us. Horrified.

Hopefully the City of New York can make a suitable memorial that will give the survivors and the families and friends of those lost, a memorial that can give them comfort. I hope their memorial will be as special to the population of New York as our Murrah Building Memorial in Okla City is to all of us in Oklahoma. It is so beautifully done. We must never forget how precious life is and never take it for granted. Our world changed that day and will never be innocent again. I pray for peace in the world and pray for all the families of those lost that horrible day that they can find peace with their losses.

Ginger

S'More Scones Recipe

Wanted to share with you a wonderful recipe for scones. If you adore S'mores you will love these.
They are so easy and just scrumptious.

Just mix together the dry ingredients, add the marshmallows and chocolate bits, then pour in the heavy cream. At this point I let it set for a minute, you don't want to overwork the dough. Then I stir it a couple of times.

Take out of bowl and press onto a floured cutting board or a piece of wax paper and make into a round about 1 1/2" thick.

Then slice into the size of slices you desire. They can be six or 12, however big you want them.

Then line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. The secret to not burning these beauties is to use two cookie sheets. The bottom one insulates the top one and then you don't get burned scones.

Let them cool about 10-15 minutes and serve em up!!!! MMMMMMM!!! Enjoy. Here is the actual recipe:

S'mores Scones

1 1/4 C. flour

1 1/4 C. crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 T sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 C chocolate chips

3/4 C mini marshmallows

1 1/4 C heavy cream

Mix all ingredient except cream in bowl, add cream and stir until moistened; knead a couple of times. Pat dough down into a round about 1 1/2" thick on wax paper or floured bread board. Cut into triangles and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool before taking them off cookie sheet. These can be frozen and thaw before baking. Just wrap in wax paper individually and place in zippered baggie and bake as many as you want at a time.

Enjoy

Ginger

Your Decorating Input Please

This morning in Oklahoma it is a beautiful, crisp, clear, cool morning and it puts me in the fall decorating mode. I am not going to decorate yet for fall but am trying to get some ideas what I want to do. For all of you who have followed me, you know when I started blogging my fireplace and opposite wall in this room was red brick. We painted the brick and now everything is lucious white, soon to be off white. So this year I plan to do something a little different for the holiday decorating and I would love your input. Should I do all whites and khaki and off white colors? Or do you think the traditional fall colors would look better. And how can you mix fall in with roses or should I put the roses away til after Thanksgiving?

The next few pictures are what I had last year to work with. I thought it was beautiful at the time but I think this year it can be much more!!!

Beautiful glittery poinsetta. Don't you just love fall after all the hot weather we have had lately?

Little bird in its nest with Mama bird and a few sparklies nearby.

Now is this a beautiful orange pumpkin or what? I painted the white pumpkin next to it, it used to be orange. So what do you think. Please give me some ideas what choices I have this year. I am excited to welcome fall, I love all the beautiful colors the trees change to, dressing in long sleeved comfy shirts, drinking hot tea out on the patio and celebrating the holidays with family.

Oh yeah, for any of you Weight Watchers friends out there, I am constantly looking for new recipes, I found this brownie recipe and each one has 4 points. Just mix a box of your favorite chocolate cake mix with one can of pumpkin (not pumpkin mix) and spoon into 12 cupcake liners. When you mix this up you will think you need some more moisture in the mix, but don't add anything else, it will be fine. I think they are way too big so next time I make them I will make 24 brownies from the mix and they will only be 2 points each. If anyone has any favorite WW recipes, I'd love to hear them.

Just threw this scarecrow from last year in to get you in the mood for fall decorating. Would love to hear your input. Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend and Pink Saturday. Please be sure and visit all the other Pink Saturday posts at Bevs place.
Hugs

Ginger