{Caitlin & Carson}

As I told you yesterday, I have some of Caitlin and Carson's engagement pictures. Their photographer is Kaitlin Roten in Wake Forest. Her blog is so fun! Caitlin found her and she really shoots in a style that she likes. Their first appointment had to be canceled because it was on that "snow day" in December that wasn't very snowy, but wasn't good for photos.

Carson's grandfather has restored several classic cars/trucks and has them at his home, so they decided that would be a fun place to take their photos. They pulled them out of storage and they were great backdrops for a fun shoot. It was about 34 degrees that day, but they just look great---I can't believe they were able to smile in that weather---isn't love great? Anyway---here are a few of the pictures. (OK, I have SOOOO many to choose from that I had to just cut some of the "not as amazing as the other ones"...)To see more, go to the 2point5d Photography blog. Thanks Kaitlin for such a great job. I can't wait to see the wedding shots!

I love this truck---what a fun "prop"!

                                                                                           

Here's one of the barns on the property---love this!

Same shot, black and white~

 

A cool car---it's sort of covered up in this photo, but I loved the bubbles!

Here's a better shot of the car~

Doesn't this look so retro? Love this, too~

 SWEET! This truck is amazing~

 

THIS is classic---such a beautiful couple and a unique picture. I love this photographer's creativity.

 

Like I told you in yesterday's post, Kaitlin Roten is having a contest right now for any married or engaged couple. She'll give them one photo session around Valentine's Day---Take a look at it---it's worth a try! It runs through February 1st---Maybe you'll win! Check it out HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!

{Recycling for Valentines!}

Hello sweet blog friends! WOW! It's been awhile since I've been on here---I did get a new computer, which I thought would make it easier to blog, but I have no time! David has been out of town since December 31---he's teaching overseas, so I've been doing the single mom thing---HOW DO these single parents do this? I'm just so tired---it's not like I have children who are so difficult, but it's just that I am the only one here---wow! He gets home tomorrow, so hopefully life will settle down a bit----yeah, right! (Sorry, it just makes me feel better---I know I'm living in a fantasy world that life will slow down, but a girl can dream, right?)

Here's a little something I did "for the earth" last week----I recycled these cookie tubes and filled them with candy for a couple friends of mine! Hey---I'm as green as can be, right? Yep, you can always count on me to eat all the goodies inside one tube in order to fill it with more goodies and then repackage it and give it to someone else----Yessssss. I'm always thinking of someone else....
One of the best things that I've discovered since living here in North Carolina is the Salem Baking Co. They make the best cookies! My favorites are the Moravian cookies---I'm not even a fan of ginger snaps. but these are like NONE you have ever tasted! They are super thin and crispy---yummy!  Not into Ginger? They make sugar cookies, key lime, pumpkin spice...well, just go here to see them.They make them year round, but I have to have some at Christmas time---which is one of the many reasons I can't ever button my pants in January....but that's another post! These have come in several gift baskets over the years and now I make sure I pick them up during December. They are MUST haves at the holidays for me. ORDER SOME for someone for Valentine's Day.OK----drooling aside, on to the project.

This project was so easy! I just took a piece of  Holiday Cheer 8 x 8 patterned paper, trimmed it to fit the length of the tube and used scor-tape to stick it on.  I made a simple embellishment for the lid and front using Everyday Button Bits---I love these Button Bits sets---they are so simple and fun to use.  I cut the cherries out with circle nestabilities dies and then matted them with scallop circles. The tag was stamped using Friends 'til the End and then cut out using a die from the Double Ended Tags Trio. I tied the tags on using Rustic Cream Button twine. I passed it through the tag holes three times and then tied the buttons on. I used glue dots to keep them in place. I filled this little gift with chocolates, but you could fill it with anything you wanted! What a quick little treat to give some sweet friends.

Thanks so much for stopping by today---I hope to have another post tomorrow with some sweet pictures of Caitlin and Carson from their engagement session---Their photographer, Kaitlin Roten at 2point5d Photography did such a great job---and she's really affordable, so if you need a photographer, you should look her up! She's having a contest right now--if you are in the Raleigh area, you need to check it out!

Valentine's Recycling Treats (all supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted)
Stamps: Everyday Button Bits, Friends 'til the End
Paper: Rustic White, Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel cardstock, Holiday Cheer patterned paper
Ink: Ripe Avocado, Raspberry Fizz
Tools/Accessories: Vintage buttons, Rustic Cream Twine, Cuttlebug, Scallop Circle and circle nestabilities dies, Double Ended tags (Spellbinders)

{Stampy stuff}

ETA: I accidentally published this without most of the words---UGH~I HATE it when I do something like that. I don't want to delete it because it took me forever to upload the photos---so please forgive me if you read this before I had done this editing~~~

Well, I did do some stamping in December---not very much, mind you, but I did some. Since I didn't get to post much---OK, anything during the month, I'm posting it now---I won't list any supplies---if you have a question about something, just ask me---I can say that with total confidence that no one will ask---this is why I say it!!! But seriously, if by chance you have a question, I'll be happy to tell what supplies I used.

Here's a tag I made for David---you can't really see if for all of the tulle, but it's there~

more tags---notice Joshua's homemade tag----on the yellow sticky note---I love that personal touch~

I found these snowflake tie ons last year after Christmas for about 15 cents each---EVERYONE got them! LOVE embellishments~

More family tags---I love these stockings. These stockings will come out every year---the set is a mix and match set from Papertrey Ink and I just LOVED it---I went really simple on these tags, but I used this set on my Christmas card, too.

More snowflake tags--(I had to use those tie ons, you know~)

These are more tags that I used for my family gifts---I made TONS of them and then had to punt on Christmas eve and make some more---while we were at my Mom's house---I had to bring my supplies with me. I don't think I have pictures of those---it was late. Does anyone else wait until Christmas eve to wrap? Yeah, well, I did and I swear I'll never do that again---but, I say that every year. UGH~ I was locked in my room the entire day---perhaps this tells you that Christmas is pretty crazy at my house---don't judge me.

This tag was what I used on my teacher gifts this year. I had planned something a little more elaborate, but the first week of December was insane---my heat was out---5 out of 7 days of that first week--off and on, mind you---not 5 consecutive days. The repairman came to my home 4 different times.

I made jam this summer and this is one of the jars I used---this little jar only holds about 2 oz.--not much jam, but lots of cute~ I also used large jars---I think I have a jar of that to show you, but I can't find it right now in my haze--

I start back to work tomorrow----I'm not ready, but I do know not to complain after having two weeks off~It just always takes me awhile to get used to that alarm clock going off again---
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week---it's COLD here---it was 17 degrees here this morning---to this Southern girl, that is COLD!

{COOOOOOOOOL Blog Candy}

I won the greatest blog candy in early December. I was just not able to get a picture to you until now---I won this amazing cookbook by Ree Drummond aka Pioneer Woman (PW)! Now, I didn't win it from PW, I won it from Dawn at Spontaneous Clapping! I started reading her blog after she left a comment on mine once and I've been hooked ever since. Dawn aka Dandy went to see Pioneer Woman at a book signing and got an extra book signed to give to one of her readers---aka ME!!! :) (OK, I promise not to use "aka" again in this post.) I actually found out that I won it in this post! You can't know how excited I was----it's sad actually, but I won't go there---just know that I was SUPER excited to win this cookbook. If Ree had been anywhere near Raleigh, NC I would have been there with my camera. All sorts of my" blogging friends" got to see her at her various stops on her book tour and I was moaning about not having a book signing on the east coast. The next thing I know, Spontaneous Clapping is having some candy and I WON! HOW COOL IS THAT? Dawn got married on December 5th, so I didn't get the book until the week before Christmas. What a wonderful surprise to find it in my mailbox! It was like Christmas two days early! So many good looking recipes in this book- I can't wait to try a few. So, this was one of the thrills in my house in December---OK, thrilling for me. Everyone else just looked at me as I laughed with glee when I pulled it out of the envelope---but again, I'm not going there! I hope you have a great day---or night!

{I'm still here...}

So many posts.....so little time! Well, December is almost over and I have had so much to do that I just couldn't get to the computer for a post----clearly the blog isn't my priority! In the next few days, I'm going to show you some of what I have gotten done over the last few weeks----I hope to be able to blog more in the new year, but with all that we have going on, I just don't know if that will happen. I really enjoy this, but I never seem to find the time to do it. SO, as things go on in the Nelson house, I hope to let you know about them. Here are my three "babies" when we do the "pose with the cookies" right before bedtime on Christmas Eve! I'm sure my girls will be thrilled that I posted this!


One of the best things in December is Joshua's birthday on December 29th. What a fun day he had Tuesday.

My sister, Jennifer has been here for many of his birthdays since it's right after Christmas, so she has started taking Joshua out to breakfast on his birthday. They went to Panera this time and he took this huge book of Christmas seek and find that she had given him and they worked on it together. Then, she took him to Target to get him some early birthday presents---how cool would that be if you were a nine year old boy? Shoot, I'd let someone take me to Target and spend money on me and I'm just a little older than nine!

Later in the day our family went out to dinner. My parents and "Aunt Jen" came, too. The last couple years, Joshua has chosen Pei Wei as his birthday meal. We had such a great time there---love the food, love the atmosphere. After dinner we came home and had cupcakes and opened presents. Joshua decided since we had just eaten, that maybe it would be best to open the presents first----you know, to let our food digest a bit! Isn't he selfless and thoughtful about our well being? :)

Joshua is a fun kid---we are always amazed at what comes out of his mouth. Sometimes it's just silly, sometimes profound---but he keeps us laughing and reminds us of the Lord's grace in our lives. What a blessing he is to us. Just think, if we didn't have him, I'd have an empty nest in a few months---sooooooooo NOT ready for that. So, this is just one other reason I'm happy to have him in my own life!! He'll keep me young.....I hope! Thanks for peeking in on me today---I sincerely hope there's not another month before my next post!

{More Tags}

Here are a couple of the first tags I made with Holiday Button Bits~I have several things to show you this week if I can just get some good lighting---it's been really overcast and my house isn't the best for natural light on the brightest of days! This will be short because Joshua and I are headed to have a fun day at the Life and Science Museum in Durham in awhile---it will be a great time together---we are out of school this whole week! YIPPEE!

I used the holly image for these tags (obviously!)--that is one of the reasons I bought this set--I just loved this image. I stamped the leaves on Ripe Avocado cardstock with the same ink and then cut them out. I also stamped the image on the tag---on the one above, I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder---I love the polka dots! I put the leaves on with some SU! dimensionals. I like that these aren't too high---that's why I use them so much. The buttons on these tags are Scarlet Jewel. I ran out of small Pure Poppy ones when I made my Christmas cards, so I need to order another bag. I still have some big ones, but they are TOO big for this project---yes, I'm rambling---THUS the blog name!

I haven't added the ribbon on these because I like to know exactly where I'm going to attach them first---sometimes I'll use actual ribbon, sometimes I'll use twine--so, that's why you are just seeing the tags here!

On this one, I used the threading water punch to create the border along the bottom of the tag---this tag was simple, simple to create and could easily be mass produced--trust me, I know about mass production---I'll show you some of that later in the season!

On the wedding front---we found Caitlin's dress last Saturday---it's SO beautiful and looks amazing on her---that's just the way it should be, right? I have hired a wedding consultant to help keep me together! I hope to be finished with the initial planning by the end of the year---if you have any great ideas for wedding favors, let me know! I'd love to make something classy! I have done some of my Christmas shopping, so I feel better about December--I'm almost finished for Joshua and Caitlin---I still have much to do, but I hope to knock it out this week! Enjoy your week---I hope you are with family or dear friends--

Holiday Button Bits Tags: (all supplies PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Holiday Button Bits
Paper: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Ripe Avocado
Ink: Ripe Avocado
Accessories: Scarlet Jewel Vintage buttons, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder (Provocraft), Dimensionals foam tape (SU!), Mini Glue dots, threading water punch (Fiskars)

{Gift Tags}

Last year I made most of my gift tags for my Christmas gifts and I LOVED it---I have always loved making packages pretty, but it's much more fun when I get to MAKE something to go on them with my "schtuff"---:) Schtuff, did I just type "schtuff"? YES, it's 4:30 in the morning so I may be a bit punchy~after waking up at 3:55 and laying there for 35 minutes, I realized that I WASN'T going to be able to go back to sleep, s0 I got up to talk to "you people"---those who exist only in my mind!!!

ANYWAY--back to the tags---I made these pretty large---I'll have to make some smaller, too, but I enjoyed making these first--I started with some Aqua Mist paper---ever since I got Papertrey's new Pigment ink stamp pad in Aqua Mist, I use this color all the time!

It coordinates perfectly with the Christmas paper Rustic Snowflakes. Anyway, I used that paper and the 2008 Holiday Tags' snowflake. I went simple on these tags, so I didn't bling up the snowflake---even though I thought of all sorts of ways to do that---stickles, rhinestones, embossing---just stamp and go this time.


I tied some twill with a button and stamped the "TO-FROM" from the same tag set. I will tie some more twill or twine when I attach it to the package, I'm just not sure how I want to use it, so I haven't put that on yet---
The other sentiment is from Holiday Button Bits. That set is proving to be so fun---I'm really enjoying it---more on that later---well, I had better do something more productive---like laundry! I hope you enjoy your day---and I hope you are still asleep!


Simple Christmas Tags: (all supplies PTI, unless noted)
Stamps: 2008 Holiday Tags, Holiday Button Bits
Paper: Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, White cardstock, Rustic Snowflakes patterned paper
Ink: Pure Poppy, Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: 1" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch (eksuccess), Aqua Mist twill, Vintage buttons in Aqua Mist and Pure Poppy, Rustic Twine