SVG Cutting Files: Anything Christmas Blog Challenge

Who else is exhausted? I've been staying up 'til the wee hours making cards, wrapping gifts, and finding boxes to ship things. 

Are you familiar with the internet sensation Grumpy Cat? Her birth name is Tardar Sauce, but she's known as Grumpy Cat. Annie from Creating Annie Thing blog and SVG Cutting Files created an SVG that they are sharing, if you participate in the blog challenge. I'm a dog person myself, but some of the memes are funny with this cat. Challenge accepted ladies!

Candace from Paper Crafts by Candace made this card

SVG Cutting Files - Summer Santa Slider Card
Snowflakes Embossing Folder - The Paper Studio

SVG Cutting Files - Summer Santa Slider Card
Snowflakes Embossing Folder - The Paper Studio
Sentiment - Jaded Blossom - Merry & Bright

Christmas Cards with Krafty Nook

See? I told you I was busy with making cards! Just a couple of cards from Krafty Nook files.

Krafty Nook - Bumble File
Silhouette Studio DE - Fancy Shape from A2 Flower Card
Bumble Candy - Joann's 
Sentiment - Computer Generated
Font - Island of Misfit Toys

Krafty Nook - Leg Lamp File
Silhouette Studio DE - drawn and offset circles
Bumble Candy - Joann's 
Sentiment - Jaded Blossom - Merry & Bright

Krafty Nook - Ninja Turtle File
Silhouette Studio DE - drawn triangle, hand cut trunk, star from Christmas Tree from library (preloaded files)
Sentiment - Computer Generated
Font - CF Jack Story

Baby's First Christmas

Since I was making Christmas cards for the families, I thought I would make my newest cousins a personalized first Christmas card. Miss Kate Cuttables offers a free SVG file daily. She had an adorable pink winter owl the other day and I knew I had to use it for the first Christmas cards for Natalee and Nola.

Miss Kate Cuttables - Pink Winter Owl
Martha Stewart - Drippy Goo Edge Punch
Sentiment - Computer Generated
Font - KG Skinny Latte

Miss Kate Cuttables - Pink Winter Owl
Martha Stewart - Drippy Goo Edge Punch
Sentiment - Computer Generated
Font - KG Skinny Latte

I'm in Card Making Heaven!

Yahoo! I made it through this semester! It was challenging, but I loved it and the classmates that are now friends! Final grades...two A's for Practicum Hospitality Education and Nevada Constitution, A B+ in Special Events Management, a C+ in Food & Beverage Cost Control and a C- in Hospitality Accounting II, which I will need to retake because the Hotel College says you have to pass the course with a C or higher and C- is not accepted. So hello accounting II, see you in the summer! 

Now I get to play! I have been busy as a beaver making Christmas cards for the family. I will probably mail out boxed cards to some, if I ever make it to the post office before Christmas.

Like I've said in the past I am in love with the SVG Cutting Files design team blog hops! Their latest one, Christmas Movie Hop, was beyond expectation! The covered some of my favorites, Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Story, A Year Without a Santa Claus, Santa Claus Comes to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Disney's Scrooge McDuck, Elf, and Arthur Christmas 

SVG Cutting Files - Christmas Movie Hop - Buddy the Elf
Jaded Blossom Stamps - Bah Humbug

SVG Cutting Files - Christmas Movie Hop - Clark Griswold
Jaded Blossom Stamps - Bah Humbug

SVG Cutting Files Galleria - Christmas Vacation's Marty Moose Mug (freebie)

SVG Cutting Files - Christmas Movie Hop - Christmas Vacation

SVG Cutting Files - Christmas Movie Hop - Frosty the Snowman
Little Scraps of Heaven - Christmas Light Post

SVG Cutting Files - Christmas Movie Hop - Ralphie in the Pink Nightmare Bunny Suit
My design - Christmas Package

Mug Swap 2014

Now that Shannan has me hooked on swaps & exchanges, I found one on Instagram that was shortly after we finished the thanks a latte one, thanks to my new friend, Aleena in Texas! Katie from the Cup of Tea blog hosted this one with her friend Caitlin from the Coffee with Caitlin blog. Never heard of a mug swap? It's a grown up version of a pen pal! You sign up, they give you a partner to swap with. Get to know one another via email. Shop for the perfect mug and mail! I was in between Thanksgiving and preparing for finals. So I quickly wrote Hannah in Missouri back and we've exchanged a few emails, we follow each other on Instagram and Pinterest and we got to know each other that way. Well she loves bears and is a fairly new mom. Her daughter BK is 16 months old. Hannah claims to be a geek and loves her Dr. Who. I tried to find an inexpensive Dr. Who Tardis Phone Box mug and was unsuccessful. Hmmmm now what? Found a cool heat changing Supernatural mug, bought it and returned it the same day because I found the cutest mug from Paper Source.

Mama Bear Mug from Paper Source

and adorable gift wrap from there too!

Holiday Bears Wrapping Paper from Paper Source

and of course I couldn't mail the package without a handmade card!

Cheerful Polar Bear file from Kadoodle Bug Designs, Sizzix Snowflake Set #3 - Snowflake #6, Martha Stewart Drippy Goo Edge Punch, Sentiment from Jaded Blossom - Merry & Bright 

My First Vinyl Ornaments

I have been obsessed with my mom's Silhouette Cameo since the day she got it! I am in love with this machine and its endless possibilities. So I have gone Pinterest nuts pinning vinyl projects and was hesitant to make something for fear it wouldn't turn out properly. Boy, was I wrong! VINYL IS ADDICTING! Annette from Krafty Nook made some adorable M&M faces and I made two for my mom and I. I prefer the flat disc ornaments. I LOVE how they came out! Mine is on the tree and mom's is going to her person at work for the Secret Santa exchange.

Last Minute Birthday Card

One of the things I love most about my mother is that she has a BIG HEART! She has been a nurse for about 35 years. She asked me to make a quick birthday card for a visiting nurse that was filling in for another one who resigned. She didn't want anyone to know that it was her birthday. Oh well! I picked up a chocolate cake from Sam's Club and whipped up this cute dino card!

SVG Cutting Files - Dinosaur Shaped Card

Sweet Babies!

My favorite Auntie (on my mom's side) is going to be a Yia Yia again! Her daughter Kathryn, her husband, Matt and son Carter just had a baby girl, Natalee Grace. And her son, Nick and daugher in law Jennifer just had their first child a baby girl, Nola Rose. I made this for Nick & Jen for their new little bundle of joy!

Krafty Nook

I have so many SVG files! Some wonderful people share theirs and Annette Yoakum from Krafty Nook is one of them. She used to have a blog, however it has been disbanded because someone took her files and was selling them on the internet. What a shame! People can be jerks. I found her on Facebook and she shares her files there now. Did I say how awesome her files are? Annette doesn't ask for donations, all she would like is some happy mail with her files sent to her P.O. Box. A lot of people post a thank you on her page. I felt compelled to send her one after learning about the thief. She has an adorable old man Carl from the movie Up. I whipped up a card and wrote on the inside:

"Have an UP-lifting day!"

She received her card and gave a warm shout out to me on Facebook. Saying her boys loved it and it did the job and lifted up her day. Her youngest even asked if he could have the card to hang in his room! That was so sweet!

Thanksgiving - Giving Thanks

I'm so thankful for my beautiful cousin Kathy and her awesome family! Kathy and I share a love of Charles Schultz Peanuts characters. The design team at SVG Cutting Files is phenomenal! They put on blog hops about once or twice a month and share their files with their followers. (for personal use only and no file sharing). A few months ago they had a Peanuts Holiday Collection Hop and had some awesome Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas files all Peanuts related! I had to make Kathy a card with the wishbone!

Swaps & Exchanges 2014

I had not heard of these until my BFF tagged me in a post on Instagram. I said to myself, what the heck, let's try it out. Our first exchange was Denea Hula's Thanks A Latte Swap - A Thanksgiving coffee, tea, hot chocolate exchange. You're assigned a partner and given their information. From there, you put together a little "happy mail" box to send to them! Some suggestions on things to send were a mug, coffee/tea/hot cocoa, a scarf, jewelry, note cards, socks, candy, mani/pedi items, notebooks, pens, scripture prints, candles...you get the picture. I received my partners information and for some reason God gave me the gift of finding the perfect gift. My partner loved Jesus, sunflowers, chocolate, the color purple. I thought to myself, this sounds like my BFF! I found everything she loved on her list and put it in a box to Colmesneil, TX. I found a beautiful sunflower mug, chocolate Dunkin Donut coffee, marshmallows, hot cocoa, a purple glass ornament (handmade) and a set of note cards that made with various images. I was so excited about using some of my SVG files! My favorites are from SVG Cutting Files and their awesome blog hops! But I also like Pretty Paper Pretty Ribbons, Little Scraps of Heaven, Designs on Cloud 9 and I made the hello sunshine one in Silhouette Studio DE. Loved using my Jaded Blossom Stamps too for the chicken cards, from the Udderly Adorable Set.

SVG Cutting Files - Belated Birthday Turtle

Designs on Cloud 9 - Autumn Sunflower

Little Scraps of Heaven - Pumpkin Peeking Mouse

SVG Cutting Files Galleria Freebie - Snoopy Skating

Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons - Cute Chicks

Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons - Cute Chicks

Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons - Cute Chicks

Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons - Root Beer Float

My own design

SVG Cutting Files - Pilgrim Snoopy from Peanuts Holiday Collection Blog Hop

Contents of Aleena's Box #thanksalatte2014

The Best Ship of All is Friendship

Well it's been a while since I posted any of my cards. I forgot my BFF follows my blog so she saw her birthday card online before she received it in the mail. Duh for me. I'll forget again though. 

This was my first full time semester and the most challenging yet, 13 credits. As long as I get all my classes I anticipate to graduate with my bachelor's degree this time next year. I couldn't be more proud! 

Anyway, this semester I was a teaching assistant for a former professor of mine, Carl. (By far my favorite one too) He has many contacts and had several industry professionals come to speak to his Intro to Hospitality classes. One of the perks of being a TA is getting to have lunch with the guests and networking. This semester Carl brought in Laurie Bohn, AKA "The Pink Lady". She is the Associate Vice President, National Accounts for Royal Caribbean International. She was so vivacious and knowledgeable. I asked for her business card as I usually like to send our guests a thank you note. When I do send a note I like it to relate to the guest. So with that said, here is the card I sent to Laurie.

Laurie came to school in October and she had been traveling for business for close to two months before she got back to her office. On top of her stack of mail was my card. She loved it and said she took it around the whole office to show off my work. (insert warm fuzzies) We have continued to keep in touch too!