On the 13th Day of December...

...I have a bit more of my December Daily to share.

I'm not quite 100% caught up so those of you that are - HUSH! ;) I still have day 11 - which for some reason I forgot to take photos for so I'll need to be creative - and day 12 but I'm still farther than I got last year so I'm looking at that as an achievement in itself!

So without further ado, here's Day 7 and Day 8.

Day 7 talks about Pearl Harbor. It was the 70th anniversary of the attack on this day. I didn't initially remember until I saw the flags at half mast. And then I couldn't believe I had forgotten.

Day 8 is about my love of the holiday lights and how I get so much joy just sitting there watching them. I've done this since I was a wee little girl - I used to lay UNDER our tree watching the colored lights twinkle.

Supplies: Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon PP; Jillibean diecuts and stickers; BasicGrey alpha stickers; twine

Besides capturing my holiday memories in one cute little place, perhaps my favorite thing about my December Daily is that I am using pretty much ALL the holiday papers/embellishments, etc. that I've been hoarding for YEARS! (Just in time for me to collect more. Shhhhh! Don't tell Santa my dirty little secret!)

Here are a few details shots from days 7 & 8:

Day 9 talks about how cold it's been getting here in Kentucky, but without the snow we had last year. We're making due with visits from Jack Frost - like the one pictured. That greeted me on my car as I was out to start the morning errands. :P

Day 10 shows how much time I spend on Pinterest because I forced (nicely of course!) the boys to pose with some candy canes like a photo I loved that I saw there. Check out this link - you'll want to do that too! I think they're sweet though and once again our tree makes it's appearance. (I told you Christmas begins and ends with that tree around here!)

Supplies: Jillibean Soup & October Afternoon PP; BasicGrey stitched brads, pearls; Jillibean diecuts, twine, pin and alpha stickers; October Afternoon small alpha stickers.

And a detail shot from days 9 & 10:

And that's it for today :) Last night was Boy Scout Court of Honor so I'm looking forward to getting caught up!

Have a happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

kg

On the 12th day of December...

...I want to share with you something fun that has been going on at Scrapbook & Cards Today's website. Besides having major giveaways on their blog, they have been featuring a designer everyday for the month of December - some of *my favorites* like Kimber McGray & Melissa Phillips (card queens extraordinaire), Kelly Purkey, Sheri Reguly, Lisa Dickinson and MORE...and there are MORE to come.

My fun thing is that for today the honor goes to me! I love the ladies over at this magazine and love the quality of the things they do so I always jump at the chance to do things with them when they ask. For today's post I got to share a few things made with BasicGrey's NORDIC HOLIDAY line...and I even broke out my Notch & Die tool. Lookout, people! ;)

**********************************************************************

I don't know about you, but as the holiday season approaches, I often find myself zapped of not only energy but inspiration and creative fortitude as well! Thank goodness inspiration is all around just waiting to be absorbed. Now there is just no excuse to not be creating in some shape or form. I have long been a fan of the super talented Robyn Werlich and the design of this layout was flipped around and tweaked from one of her gorgeous pages I saw online. The color scheme is one I've been wanting to try since seeing so many amazing projects on Pinterest.com. Grey seems to be the new black and I couldn't wait to try the gorgeous neutral with the brighter colors of BasicGrey's Nordic Holiday papers. And the cute kid? Well he's mine. I created him a while back too. (Can we say he's recycled? See, I'm environmental!) What I ended up with is a page I loved that didn't send me into fits to design or create. How great is that? It's a true Christmas miracle!

Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock; BasicGrey PP, 3-D stickers, alpha stickers, diecut, glazed brad; Uni-ball pen; Fiskars punches

Instructions:

1. Trim a 12"x10.5" piece of red paper and adhere across grey cardstock base 1" from the top of the page.
2. Trim a 12"x3.25" piece of green tree patterned paper and adhere across page 2" down from the top.
3. Trim a 1"x3.75" strip of pink patterned paper and adhere vertically along the left edge of the layout directly under the green tree strip.
4. Trim a .75"x3.75" strip of striped paper and adhere vertically to the right of the pink strip.
5. Trim a 3"x3.75" block of red poinsettia paper and adhere vertically along the right edge of the layout directly under the green tree strip.
6. Trim a 2"x3.75" strip of white paper. Add journaling as desired then adhere vertically to the left of the red poinsettia block.
7. Trim a 12"x1.75" strip of grey paper. Adhere across the page flush with the bottom edge of the vertical strips.
8. Trim a 1/4"x7" strip of grey cardstock and adhere vertically along the right edge of the layout between the green and grey strip. Trim a 1/4"x8" strip of red striped paper and adhere vertically along the left edge of the grey strip.
9. Draw a dashed line with a white pen around the perimeter of the the layout as shown.
10. Adhere 5"x7" photo to 5 3/8"x7 3/8" green cardstock photo mat. Adhere matted photo to the page in the empty section of red paper.
11. Mat 4"x3" photo onto 4.25"x3.25" block of white paper then adhere to the right of the focal photo within the green strip.
12. Adhere "merry christmas" diecut in upper right corner of layout.
13. Punch four 1" circles from white paper. Trim in half and adhere five half circles along the top of the focal photo. Add three half circles under the grey strip at the right of the page.
14. Add title within grey strip at the right of the page as shown. Embellish with cut-out poinsettia leaves.
15. Add ornament stickers tied with string to the grey strip to the left of the title.
16. Cut a 2" ring of green cardstock and add to the left of the focal photo. Embellish with white snowflake diecut.

And just so you don't feel guilty scrapbooking when you should be wrapping presents or other assorted holiday happenings, after you're done with your layout whip up a few gift tags or gift card holders from the scraps - so easy when you already have your supplies out!

Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, BasicGrey paper, Sizzix embossing templates, jute, Ranger stickles, Uni-ball pen, ribbon, BasicGrey Notch and Die Tool

Gift Tags:

1. Trim grey cardstock to 2.5"x5. Round corners.

2. Trim a 1.5"x5" strip of white paper. Emboss and adhere down the center of the tag.

3. Trim two 1/8"x5" strips of red striped paper and adhere vertically down each side of the white strip.

4. Wrap bottom of tag with jute and tie in a bow.

5. Trim poinsettias out of paper scraps and adhere with dimensional adhesive.

6. Add red dots to the poinsettias with Stickles if desired.

7. Punch hole in the top of the tag and tie with ribbon.

Gift Card Holder:

1. Trim piece of grey cardstock to 3.75"x5.75". Fold at the .5" and the 3 1/8" marks. Fold into a tri-fold card.

2. Place gift card inside card and mark the upper corners with pencil. Notch paper with craft knife or Notch & Die tool.

3. Fold 1/2" tab over the front flap. Mark the center of the 1/2" flap onto the front flap. Notch a semi circle with a craft knife or Notch & Die Tool to create the tab to hold the card shut.

4. Trim a 3.75"x1.5" strip of white paper. Emboss and adhere across the front flap just above the notched tab.

5. Trim a 3.75"x.5" strip of red striped paper. Adhere just up from the bottom of the white strip.

6. Wrap flap in white jute. Tie in bow.

7. Trim poinsettias out of paper scraps and adhere.

8. Add red dots to the poinsettias with Stickles if desired.

9. Just add gift card!

**********************************************************

I hope your weekend was spectacular and here's to the start of another great week! Happy Monday!

xoxo,

kg

On the 10th day of December...

I want to share with you one of my new favorite websites - Easy Canvas Prints!

As a photographer wanna-be of the highest degree, I am a sucker for good photo printing and I love it even more when that photo is printed on canvas. Since I love giving my photos as gifts I have tried several different websites especially at the holidays but the the quality at Easy Canvas Prints is just truly superior. Their shipping is fast and reasonable - if not free depending on the specials they have at the time, their packaging is very secure and the canvases are gorgeous. But for me it is the customer service that really put them over the top. They address any questions or concerns quickly and professionally and they are incredibly friendly all at the same time.

I ordered the below canvas of the boys (finally a canvas for ME!) and it came in a week including shipping. How's that for service?

Easy Canvas Prints offers great options like choosing frame depth, wrapping of the image, mirror wrap or solid color wrap. And I don't know if you can tell well from this photo, but mine has a solid color wrap (black) on the sides so it looks like it's already in a frame from the side. I love having choices.

Now I have a reason for YOU to love Easy Canvas Prints as well! They have generously offered my awesome readers a gift code for $10 off a canvas of your choice! Simply go HERE and enter the code: 063455896433

Happy Printing and have a wonderful weekend! I'll be back Monday with another special post and perhaps a bit more of my December daily! I can't wait to share it with you!

Before I go, the winner of my Nordic Holiday giveaway is MARGIE!!

Congrats, Margie!! Please contact me at kelly(dot)goree(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!!!

xoxo,

kg

On the 9th Day of December...it's the HERO ARTS BLOG HOP

Hi there!

Are you ready?! I have something super-special for you today. And I'm so excited I can't stand it! Welcome,everyone, to the the 2012 Hero Arts Catalog Blog Hop!

I always love it when I can promote my favorite companies especially when I can combine them with my love for BasicGrey and today I get to do just that! The awesome folks at Hero Arts generously sent me a few of their 2012 Catalog releases and they are gorgeous!

For the below layout, you *might* be able to tell that I tried to channel my inner Stephanie Dagan (*tried* being the operative word!). I've always been a huge fan of both hers and Susan Weinroth's and the way they are able to include so much eye candy within a clean and linear style. I'm not sure I got there, but it's so much fun to play around with a different style every now and then. :)

The CL570 This is Big clear stamps ended up being just perfect for this layout about my son making his first Honor Roll! As I'm still a bit too nervous to stamp directly onto a project, I first stamped onto my chosen papers before I then punched or cut out the design. For "Whoo Hoo" I stamped with clear Versamark ink, then embossed it with white Zing! When I was done, it was just a tad *too* white for the page's creamy colors so I took some brown chalk ink and rubbed it over it just a bit to tone it down. The other stamps in this set that I used are the "This is BIG", "WOW" and "You can do it!" What a great collection, right?!

Supplies: Hero Arts Stamps CL570 THIS IS BIG; BasicGrey OXFORD papers, Element stickers, alpha stickers, glazed brads; chipboard elements; American Crafts ZING! Embossing Powder and ink; Versamark ink.

Here's a few close-ups of these amazing stamps....

I'd love it if you'd leave a comment telling me what you love about Hero Stamps, BasicGrey, stamping or all of the above! By leaving a comment, you will be entered for a chance to win one of five prize packs that include brand new 2012 Catalog stamps that will be chosen from ALL of the blog hop comments received by midnight PST on Monday, December 12, and will be announced on the Hero Arts blog shortly thereafter. So that means MANY chances to get your name in!

So hop on over to the next blog in our chain - BASICGREY!! (I know, you're shocked, right?!)

Remember, if you find a link in our hop that just doesn't work, you can always hop back to the Hero Arts Blog for a list of direct links to all the blogs in the hop.

OH! And just a couple more things I have to share:

BasicGrey has loved teaming up with Hero Arts who produces beautiful, high-quality cling rubber, wood and clear acrylic stamps with BasicGrey's collections. As an added treat for one week only, all available BasicGrey Hero Arts stamps are 20% off MSRP at basicgrey.com! Click here to see everything available! (PS, click Buy Online to filter only those available).

And my Nordic Holiday giveaway is still open in the post below! Just click here after leaving your comment for Hero Arts! (So many chances to win, why you'd think it must be CHRISTMAS! :D)

Happy Thursday!

Enjoy your day!
xoxo,

kg

On the 8th Day of December...

WINNER:

Congrats, Margie!! Please contact me at kelly(dot)goree(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!!!

*********************************************************************

....I'd love to share with you something that I hope will make your life easier!

I mean, PEOPLE! It's DECEMBER!! Gasp! If you've been in denial like I usually (ok, still) am, you're just starting to realized that with the hustle and bustle of the holidays that there's just not enough hours in the day to get all that you need to done. Right?!

So I'm here here to help!These super easy holiday cards are so quick that it will knock one more "to do" off your list in no time. These cards are no more than a few strips of paper wrapped in twine for instant hand-crafted cuteness that be sure to please anyone on your holiday card list.

I actually used our gorgeous BasicGrey JOVIAL line for these cards, but they can easily be adapted to our latest Nordic Holiday or anything else you might choose.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

Cardstock, twine/jute, glazed brads, 3 patterns of paper, snowflake diecuts, a scallop border punch, a printer and a corner rounder - if you choose.

That's really it!

So let's make some cards:

(Finished card 5"x5")

1. Trim cardstock into 5"x10" strips. Run them through printer to add your desired sentiment a 1/2" from the bottom of the strip.

2. Fold cards in half and round the bottom two corners.

3. Trim a 5"x4" block of one patterned paper and adhere across the top of each card.

4. Trim a 5"x1/4" strip of the same patterned paper and adhere just under the sentiment of each card.

5. Trim a 5"x1" strip of yuor second patterned paper (we prefer a vertical stripe here for contrast but it's up to you!) and adhere across each card 1 1/2" from the bottom.

6. Trim 5"x1/4" strips of the third paper using a scallop border punch. Adhere across each card directly under the strip from step 5.

7. Adhere a snowflake diecut (here we used our awesome Sizzix/BasicGrey template) to the horizontal strip of each card approximately 1" from the right side.

8. Wrap twine around each card and tie in a bow right over the snowflake diecut.

9. Secure snowflake with a glazed brad (or any brad/button) and you're done!

Now you can go mark one more thing off your holiday chore list! And with all that free time you have, don't forget to still check out BasicGrey's countdown to Christmas on their website (www.basicgrey.com). There are tons of great freebies and recipes and more as our little gift to you!

But you didn't think that was it, did you? Of course not! I can't let you try and make some cards without some PAPER...and some stickers as well! No way! So here's the drill:

Please leave your name and what you still have "to do" on your holiday list in the comments and you can be entered to win a NORDIC HOLIDAY collection pack of BasicGrey for your very own! This giveaway will end without any further notice so get your name in now! Please only one entry per person!

Have a wonderful day! I'll be back tomorrow with a special surprise!

xoxo,

kg

On the 5th & 6th Day of December....

I just want to pop on quickly to show a few more pages of my December Daily that some of you have asked for (I'm still caught up - It's a true Christmas miracle!) and to announce the winner of my giveaway below.

I'll be back soon with yet another giveaway and then I have something really special on Friday for you! I promise you won't want to miss that one!

So now for the new DD pages:

Day 2 brought the first visit from our "legendary" Christmas Squirrel! The boys look forward to it every year (as do we :)). I included the actual story in the little Maya Road pocket that you can see below.

Day 3 was a low-key day. Knowing we wouldn't have many of them this month, we took full advantage and had a family lazy day complete with Wii Monopoly and some homemade cookies.

Supplies: Bazzill CS; Jillibean PP, diecuts, stickers; Maya Road envie; BasicGrey number and alpha stickers

Day 5 was spent outside hanging up holiday lights. While it doesn't look like tons it did take a while and I was thrilled to get it done before the rains came (now it's been raining the past 2 days - ick!)

And then Day 5 I got to spend lunch with one of my dear friends, Shannon. We try to do those lunches fairly regularly but it had been ages since the last one. I owe her for posing for a photo...and Shan, if you're reading this, I'm still bitter about Santa not being in it with us! :P

Supplies: Bazzill CS; Jillibean PP, diecuts, stickers; BasicGrey number and alpha stickers

Today was St. Nicholas Day. The shoes were left out and filled and even the page is finished!

Supplies: Bazzill CS; Jillibean PP, diecuts, stickers; BasicGrey PP, number and alpha stickers

And finally, we have a WINNER of the Scrapbook & Cards Today's winter issue and PageMaps calendar!

Congrats, Grace! Email me at kelly(dot)goree(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!

I hope you're off to a great week!

xoxo,

kg

On the 3rd & 4th day of December...

I want to share with you....

....the cover and first day of my December daily. Believe it or not (even *I* can hardly believe it!) I'm actually caught up to today (Day 4), but wasn't able to photo the finished pages due to icky rainy weather and the fact that it now gets dark at noon. :P

I must admit I am completely enamored with this little album. I have had such fun borrowing little tidbits and techniques that I've been dying to try as well as mixing a hodge-podge of different materials and manufacturers all in one little cute 6"x8" package.

Like what you might ask? Well to start, the sweet little tree on my cover. I totally swiped that from my uber-talented friend Summer Fullerton and her winter cover of Scrapbook & Cards Today. I have such an abundance of sweet little stitched brads from BasicGrey and what better way to use them? I might have actually squealed when I finished with it. It just makes me happy. And check out those old school Making Memories grommets. Those puppies have been in my stash for 5 years or more? More....and then some I'm sure, but they were just perfect here. (I always knew I'd find just the right project for them!) They fit easily into the corrugated cardboard I cut for the front and back cover. I had used a 6x6" album last year and it ended up being just a bit smaller than I'd have liked. I think this 6"x8" size is going to be a favorite.

Supplies: BasicGrey Brads, green alphas; Doodlebug alphas; Jillibean diecuts and paper; Heidi Swapp star; Making Memories grommets; twine

Then for the intro I used some easy Jillibean diecuts and a take on a fab sketch by my friend Becky Fleck at PageMaps. I'm planning on using quite a few of Beck's sketches on this project because a) they rock and b) they keep me from having to think too hard when I'm busy this season. It's the perfect combination. I also loved how Kendra McCracken included a little blurb about why do a December Daily album in hers, so I modified the wording just a bit and included it in mine as well.

Supplies: Jillibean Soup (all but); October Afternoon (snowflake paper).

And then day 1. For us Christmas begins and ends (quite literally) with our tree. This first spread is dedicated to that. I loved the shot of the tree that showed all the bokeh in the lights so I made it a full page image and then just inserted photos of my boys decorating it. It was that easy. The other page just reminds me of how tiny my guys still are even though it seems like they're growing by the second. It makes me want to smile and cry all at the same time.

Supplies: BasicGrey PP (tree/stripe), number sticker; Jillibean pp and diecuts; Heidi Swapp star

I'm feeling very accomplished right now. This AND outdoor holiday lights knocked out in a 48 hour period! ;) I am going to try my best to keep up with it as it's just one little something I'm doing for ME this holiday season.

So tell me - are you doing a DD? Want to link me to yours?! If you're not doing a DD, is there something else you're doing just for you? I think everyone deserves to treat themselves nicely and not just everyone else especially during the craziness of the holidays!

Hope your weekend was magical! And remember! I still have a giveaway open in the post below. Don't miss it as I'll probably close it up tomorrow!

xoxo,

kg

On the 2nd Day of December....

WINNER!

Congrats, Grace! Email me at kelly(dot)goree(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!

...I want to give to you.....

Not only the brand new WINTER issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today that is being released just TODAY (as if that wasn't amazing enough!), but also....

...this amazing 2012 Scrapbook & Cards Today + Page Maps inspirational sketch calendar!!

I know, right?! I'm so thrilled to be a part of both of these amazing publications and I am MORE thrilled to be sharing them with you! Just check out that amazing cover Summer Fullerton did for the winter issue. I'm in love with it (and plan on doing one of those brad trees myself on a project this holiday (hello, December Daily?!) and that's just the cover! Seriously - the issue is THAT amazing!

Then there's that 2012 calendar. What better way to keep you organized than with inspirational sketches and layouts all year long? It's spectacular and has tons of new features not one of which is step out photography for great techniques that you're going to want to try!

And yes! I want to give one of each to one of you!! Falalaaaaa!
Please leave your name and one of your favorite things about the holidays (or the mag or calendar) and you'll be entered to win! Please only one entry per person! I'm not sure when I'm going to close this contest so get in now!

p.s. Scrapbook & Cards Today is having a 12 days of Christmas inspiration going on at their website now featuring some awesome designers if I do say so myself ;) so you won't want to miss that OR BasicGrey's 25 Days of Christmas on their site! Both are going to get you so ready for the holidays!

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo,

kg

On the 1st day of December...

....I want to give to you....

my heartfelt thanks for sticking with me during 2011! I know I've been a sporadic blogger but I truly appreciate all those that still come around and have interest in me, my family and my scrappy endeavors :) You guys are truly the best and I can't tell you that enough. As a sign of my thanks and in the spirit of giving, I have a few things I want to share with you.

First up - BasicGrey is hosting a 25 days of Christmas on their website.

Each day when you visit, you can click on the advent calendar image below selecting the day and there will be a special surprise for you! How fun is that?

Even more fun is this FREE desktop calendar wall paper also from BasicGrey. Get one of your very own by clicking here. Mine is already up and getting me in the holiday spirit every time I look at it!

I'll be back tomorrow with even more - starting with Scrapbook & Cards Today's WINTER ISSUE! Trust me, it's GORGEOUS...and it doesn't stop there!

Here's to a wonderful December!
xoxo,

kg