Thursday, November 17, 2011

Advent Calendars

Hello Blog-Land!
I spent quite a few years while growing up in Europe and one of my favorite traditions that my family adopted were advent calendars.  This year I decided to make one for my Boo rather than buying one.  I started with an Internet search thinking of making one of these when I stumbled upon this.  This was my kind of idea, it only required things I already had!  So I have spent the last week making boxes...lot's and lot's of boxes.  72 matchboxes to be exact. Traced, cut out and put together by hand... Yes I know it would have been easier to buy matches but then what do you with the 1200 + matches? I don't have a gas stove, fireplace or heater, and the grill has an auto starter.  So rather than buy them I made them using this template. 72... yup  I enlarged the pattern slightly when I printed it out then traced onto card stock.  I was able to get 4 box bases from 1 standard 8.5 x 11.  So this is what I made with those 72 match boxes;
The paper is DCWV and white card stock stamped with snowflakes then sprayed with Glimmer mists.  I used chip board Thickers to embellish

The tops and bottoms are made from cereal box sides.  These two are for Boo's best friend and her sister. As they are not allowed lots of candy, I plan to fill them with bead jewelry and taking an idea I saw floating about on the 'Net I will be putting scraps of paper with activities for each day on them.  (Their mom approved the list.) Things like singing carols, making cookies, reading Christmas stories fun stuff like that.
Now for my Boo I chose paper from Club Scrap I have been saving this paper for just the right project as it is just lovely.
The paper is from the Gratitude kit with gold card stock for the drawers.  The Santa images are from Elizabeth O. Dulemba and the trees are stickers I bought at a stamping show embellished with rhinestones. After seeing how the other 2 looked Boo asked if his could be different so I tried several configurations before we settled upon this one.
I am so happy with how these turned out! Now all I have to do is hit the dollar store from tiny gifts for the drawers.
Tootles
Crickitt

Friday, November 4, 2011

Cake!

Well the big birthday went off with out a hitch. Last set of pics from it I promise :)
I took all the birds and piggies from this post and made cake!
The bottom tier is chocolate with cream cheese icing that I tinted green the top two are funfetti white with milk chocolate icing covered in chocolate chips.  The sling shot is softened tootsie rolls formed on a bamboo skewer, the "logs" are kit kats. I took my inspiration from here and kinda rolled with it.  I don't like the taste of fondant so I elected to just do the icing instead.  I am super pleased how it came out and Boo LOVED his cake!
Now on to Christmas prep :)
Tootles
Crickitt