And the winner is...

The winner from my holiday giveaway was...

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Erin!  So take a look at my Etsy shop, and then shoot me an email at neatandtangled@gmail.com and let me know what 3 colors of wrinkle ribbon you would like as well as a place to send your goodies!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! It was one of the best here, despite a few mishaps which I'll share with you later.

I will NOT be signing off at all the rest of the year...lucky for my hubby is home for the next week so I have a little more free time. Yippeee!

Goodnight!

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Color Challenge & Giveaway

*Don't forget to enter my Happy Holiday Giveaway HERE*

So, I decided to enter The Playdate Cafe Color Splash Challenge

I actually did a yellow and black card for the Lawn Fawn contest, but decided to make something different. More than anything it served as a distraction from getting anything on my mile long to-do list done. 

 For now, I am back to my list! Can't believe Christmas is days away.

Supplies
Paper: True Black, White (PTI)
Stamps: Tin Types (PTI), Just My Type (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Versafine Black, Frost White (Color Box)
Fun Stuff: Yellow Satin Ribbon and Buttons (PTI), Black Ribbon (?)

12

Happy Holiday Giveaway!

Hello hello...

I will be back tomorrow with a card, it's too dark for me to get any good pictures.  For now, a giveaway!

As you may, or my not know, this is my absolute favorite time of year.  Now that we have little G, I love it even more.

So, without further ado...I'm doing a little holiday give away for all my crafty friends.  Here is my gift to you:

1 Yard Each of 3 Different Wrinkle Ribbons from my Etsy Shop

YOUR CHOICE OF COLORS!

AND

1 Bunch of Blooms

(Assorted colors/styles)

These are super cute hand crocheted flowers, perfect for so many projects!

Soon to be in my shop

TO ENTER

Leave a comment below telling me what is YOUR favorite time of the year!

You have until 11:59PM EST December 24th to enter, I'll announce the recipient of this gift on December 25th!

5

Cookie Monster

Somehow the husband coerced me into baking cookies again, even though I hated myself for eating so many the last time. It went something like this:

Husband: Do you think we could bake more cookies tonight?


Me: Absolutely!

There really was a whole internal struggle going on inside my head, but you see how that turned out.  Because of lack of self control with the last batch we instituted a new cookie rule. Only 3 per person per day.  Hubs has dubbed himself the 'Cookie Sheriff'. This is just like politics because I know his hands will be in that cookie jar more than 3 times a day, but I've got no authority over baked goods apparently.

I've got a yummy bacon covered turkey breast in the oven, and I'm off to crochet a few gifts.  Lovely little Saturday, hope yours is too!

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Procrastination

That's right folks, you get to hear from me twice today!

Much to my surprise I was able to make one more card for the Lawn Fawn contest after dinner, and here it is!  I have to say, it was really a lot of fun trying to come up with interesting ways to use the set given the guidelines. It also really made me feel like I got my money's worth from that set.

Some pictures are TERRIBLE.  Typically I take advantage of our backyard for my photo shoots, but I had to do a bunch of them in my dark hole of a craft room. The yellow is really quite lovely, and the rhinestones, ribbon, and bows sparkle. The picture outside really shows how pretty the yellow is! I hope I don't get counted out because my pictures are so lousy!

Ah natural lighting! 

Ugly florescent light! 

Wrinkle Ribbon!

I added a subtle pattern to the dress

And now I am off to watch a movie and fall fast asleep!

Supplies
Paper: True Black, White, and Lemon Tart Cardstock (all PTI)
Ink: Versafine Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink, 
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn)
Fun Stuff: Summer Sun Wrinkle Ribbon (Neat and Tangled), Rhinestones, Winter Wonderland Embossing Powder, Black Enamel Accents

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Snow!

Yesterday was our first real snowfall, and by that I still mean less than an inch. How exciting!  Snapped a picture of the backyard before my camera battery died.

Mr. G has been sick the past day or so.  He slept in until 11 today! That's just crazy. Poor kid. Needless to say I haven't been able to get a whole lot done around here, crafting or otherwise.  I did manage to pick up a few last minute gifts...thank you online shopping!

Here is my second card for the Lawn Fawn contest.  I am really hoping to put together one more before the deadline, but we will see how that goes. I think I'm learning that I prefer the clean and simple style, at least for now.

I had to include this picture since Lucy snuck in shot

I love the shimmer on this button 

I clear embossed the buttons before I inked them up

Supplies


Paper: Rustic White, Kraft Cardstock, White Cardstock (PTI)
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Chipped Sapphire, Antique Linen, Crushed Olive, Dusty Concord (All Distress Inks), Versafine Black
Fun Stuff: Button, Jute Twine, and Simply Chartreuse Ribbon (PTI)

1

Catching Up

We were without internet on and off all weekend. Talk about feeling disconnected from the world! It did give me a lot of time to catch up on projects and various things around the house. We baked about 4 dozen regular chocolate chip cookies on Saturday night. I would have taken a picture to post but they are all gone. Hubs and I each had about 1.5 dozen and I gave a bunch to my sister too. Needless to say I have also been spending a lot of time at the gym.

On to the good stuff.  I made 2 cards for Lawn Fawn. Kelly Marie is holding a contest, and the winner will have their card included in their new catalog and booth at CHA in January. How exciting would it be to win?!?! I don't know what I'd do with myself.  Anyhow I figure I'd post one today and one tomorrow! For the challenge you could only use select sets(I only had one), and no patterned paper.

 Supplies
Paper: Kraft cardstock, White cardstock (both PTI)
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Versamark, Pumice Stone, Crushed Olive and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks, Versafine Black, Colorbox Frost White
Buttons: White and Cream Mix and Hawaiian Shores (PTI)

5

My gift to you!

Many of you seemed to enjoy the pictures of my cookies. They are quite delicious, and surprisingly simple.  Here is the recipe below! Promise to be back tomorrow with some crafty goodness.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 bag(11.5 oz) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (I've also used the bars of Baker's Chocolate)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 bag(6 oz) Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1/2 bag(6 oz) milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

In double boiler melt the bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. In large bowl beat eggs and sugar; stir in chocolate and butter mixture. In small bowl stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips and walnuts.

Using sheet of plastic wrap form dough into two logs, each two inches in diamter and about 8 inches long.  A dough will be very soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in log shape. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm **I NEVER do this. I just stick the bowl of dough in the fridge until it's firm and then scoop out cookies like you do when you make regular chocolate chips.  I tried this plastic wrap business once and it was a mess, looked like a chocolate bomb went off in my kitchen**

Preheat oven to 375. Unwrap dough, with sharp knife cut into 3/4 inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. (OR if you're like me, scoop out your cookies onto the tray)

Bake 12-14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft.  Cool (or devour immediately and burn your mouth because your impatient like me) and enjoy!

1

The Breakfast of Champions!

You better believe I had one of these bad boys with my breakfast this morning. This are my notorious triple chocolate chip cookies.  I baked a few dozen last night for our monthly Bunco night (tonight).  I "accidentally" over baked one tray. I would be to ashamed to bring anything less than perfect, so they now reside in my snowman cookie jar.

And here's a mini card I put together yesterday. I only had an hour but had to use the new Lawn Fawn stamps I got.  I love the single little music note, I added a touch of glossy accents to make it just right.

Supplies


Paper: Kraft card stock, Vintage Cream Card stock, Sugar Plum patterned paper (all PTI)
Stamps: Just a Note (Unity), Fly Free (Lawn Fawn), Teeny Tiny Backdrops (Lawn Fawn), Mini Scrapbook Series: Library Ledge (PTI), Mini Scrapbook Series: Journaling Circles (PTI)
Ink: Frost White (Colorbox), Peeled Paint Distress Ink, Versafine Black
Other: Glossy Accents, mini wood clothes pin

16

The Furminator

BEST INVENTION EVER.

Can I tell you how much my animals shed?  It's ridiculous. Like I vacuum and a minute later I see fluffy fur tumbleweeds rolling down the hall.  I can't stand it.  I also hate it when I have Fred's white hair all over a nice dark sweater.  It's also a pain because my mom and sister are allergic to Lucy, and my mother in law is allergic to Fred and Babs.  I myself am sensitive to Fred, but not Babs. I know, it's weird that I am allergic to one cat but not the other.

In my quest to reduce fur and allergens I will try any product on the market. It's usually hit or miss with how well they work.  I have the Eureka Power Paw attachment for my vacuum and I swear it's the best thing around.

But I needed to find something a little more preventative. I actually considered shaving the cats, but after doing a little research it's apparently inhumane blah blah blah(kidding!! I would never really shave them). So much for that. So I went to my favorite site for this stuff, Achoo Allergy, and started browsing.   I found two things of interest.

1.  Pet Brush Vacuum attachment - You pretty much put this on your vacuum and vacuum your pets.

Decided against this because all of the gang hates the vacuum and it didn't get great reviews.

2. Furminator Deshedding Tool - Simply use it to brush your pets

This seemed reasonable and easy enough, although the price tag was almost a deterrent. I saw that they had it on sale at my local Petco so I picked it up, came home, and immediately used it on Fred and Babs. 

Okay, I should have taken a picture, but I am pretty sure they both weigh about 10 pounds less.  THIS IS WORTH EVERY PENNY.  I wish I had spent the money along time ago on this baby, I  am pretty sure this is going to save me from having to vacuum every hour day.

If you are annoyed with pet hair like myself I highly recommend both the Power Paw vacuum attachment and the Furminator.  Plus, if you have a husband like mine, he'll love walking around saying "the furminator" in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

4

Generosity

Sometimes I get so frustrated with people.  Like when I am at the mall and people give me dirty looks as I try to carefully maneuver my stroller without knocking anything over, or at the grocery store when I appear invisible to people, when the person just lets the door close behind them instead of helping a momma with a stroller out, just the general thoughtlessness (is that a word??).  I have always dreamed of moving to some small town where people are helpful and polite, and have a general goodness in their heart.

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, so when I encounter these scrooges it just makes me sad. Last week was particularly filled with curmudgeons.  But just when I needed it something awesome happened.

Last month I signed up for a little holiday swap at PTI. I don't really know any of these women (or Ted!) personally since it is an online forum and I am fairly new to the community.  So when my package arrived and I opened it I was speechless.  I had mentioned to Amy that I did not have any of the new colors, and I was lacking in the patterned paper department. I knew I would love anything I got, but I was really moved by the generosity of Amy.  Here are a few (poor quality b/c I took them at night) pictures:

All kinds of twine!

Samples of button and ribbon in all the newer colors!

A stamp set, coordinating die, and doilies!

Pens that I can alter!

Some of her own handmade tags!

So many types of cardstock - even shimmer!

A ton of patterned papers!

There was also a stamp pad and a beautiful card which I forgot to photograph...but I think you get the idea.

My in-laws were over when I received the package, so it was torture waiting for them to leave so I could open it. A few hours later when they did I was just blown away.  Hubs found me sniffling over my craft table and asked me if I was okay.  He too was impressed with my gift.  I just was so happy, not necessarily because of the quantity (although I have so many wonderful new supplies now!), but because of how thoughtful and generous the gift was.  It made me realize that there are still just generally kind and good people out there.

I immediately put some of the supplies to use, like the pretty pastel paper from my Sew Lovely card.

This weekend was so busy I hardly had time to craft, but tonight I am going to finish up a little thank you gift for Amy.

I can't wait to be able to use my new supplies to pay it forward.

9

Lawn Fawn Love

Poor hubs didn't sleep well last night due to Lucy's snoring.  I actually found him on the couch when I woke up this morning.  Poor guy said he ran out of sock bombs, and gave up and went to the couch to escape.

The three of us hit up the mall early this morning to do a little walking and window shopping.  We also contemplated getting G's picture taken with Santa until we saw the 309,384 mile long line.  I decided I'll be taking him at some point during the week when it's likely to be less crowded. I also wanted to get Epic Mickey for our Wii, but the $49.99 price tag stopped me.  I'll ask someone for it for Christmas.

This is a random bit of information, but I am finding it extremely annoying that I cannot find a nice pair of yoga pants to save my life. About 5 years ago I got the best pair from Old Navy.  Sadly, they have a hole in the crotch that I believe is beyond repair.  I have looked at Old Navy, Lady Foot Locker, and Target and have not tried on a single pair that I am happy with.  They are either are way to long (it stinks being short), or make my butt look awful. It's quite frustrating, so any suggestions are welcome!

When we got back I made more ribbon in a new colors, so that was fun.  I also finished up this lovely card I started yesterday.  I made it in honor of my new interest in sewing. In fact, I asked for a new sewing machine for Christmas since my little one just about blew up when I made that flannel blanket. I used Lawn Fawn's Sew Lovely set, it was perfect!  I used the little needle stamp to make my own little patterned paper (the strip of melon berry cardstock). I'm pretty much in love with all of their sets.  I sent Hubs a little email with the link to their website and a list, let's hope he gets the hint.

Tonight we have a Christmas party, so that will be fun. For now, I am off to crochet a moose for a special order...wish me luck!

.Supplies.


Paper: Vintage Cream cardstock, Melon Berry cardstock, Pretty Pastels patterned paper (all PTI)
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Versamark, Versafine Black, Spun Sugar Distress Ink
Fun Stuff: Blush Wrinkle Ribbon (Neat and Tangled), Pearl (Queen and Co.), Martha Stewart Scallop Punch

8

Wrinkle Ribbon Heaven

I have a new addiction and it is making wrinkle ribbon. My fingers might be a little discolored, but I have been having so much fun experimenting with this stuff!

I added some really gorgeous ribbon to my Etsy shop.  Only a few colors for now, more to come!

6

Look at me!

Blogging two days in a row!  It's been a while since I've done that.  Today I bring you a simple little card and some ribbon.

I wanted to make a little mini card, so here it is.  It's only 3x3,  I love the little size, and kept it simple inside.

I also took the plunge and made some of my own wrinkle ribbon. It turned out beautifully! The picture doesn't really do it justice.  I'll definitely be adding some of this ribbon to my shop.  Think I'm going to try and make some bows/flowers out of it as well. As if my list of ideas and things to do isn't long enough already.

Supplies
Card
Paper: Kraft cardstock, Green Boutique patterned paper (PTI)
Stamps: Fillable Frames 9, Mega Mixed Messages (PTI)
Ink:  Versafine black, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Fun Stuff: Vintage Cream grosgrain ribbon, Aqua Mist Topnotch Twill Tape, Holiday mix buttons, Jute Button Twine (all PTI)


Wrinkle Ribbon
Sew Binding Ribbon
Dusty Concord Distress Ink

8

Sew Sew, Etsy shop open!

First of all my Etsy shop is open! Woot woot! My goal was before Thanksgiving, but hey, I'm pretty pleased with myself for only being a few days off.  If you have time go take a peek, there are only a few items, but I'll be adding more each day this week.

Sooo...after finding Nichole from PTI's post about her cozy blanket I immediately needed to try to make one.  Mind you, I've never sewn more than a straight line across a piece of cardstock so this could have been disastrous.  Actually, I take that back. I just remembered,  I had to sew a skirt in high school Home Ec. and it really sucked, I must have been trying to repress that memory.

I rounded up G and the Hubs after breakfast Sunday and made them go with me to Joann's to get some fabric. I was super nervous because I had no idea what to do. Luckily it was pretty obvious once I saw the huge fabric cutting station.  After  a hour few minutes of searching for the perfect flannel we were on our way home.  I washed, dried, and pressed my flannel as instructed that afternoon.  After dinner I set to pinning it, and making some little 1/2 inch marks since my sewing machine has no such marking for me to go by when trying to keep a straight line.  Forgive me for not taking pictures of the process, but I just didn't feel like going back to get my camera once I started.

Then I started sewing. YIKES. My little sewing machine was not made for sewing through 2 sheets of flannel, but I managed to get it done with some force.

I probably shouldn't have, I kept thinking "I'll be so made if this machine breaks since I've only had it for like a month", yet I didn't stop sewing.  Foolish looking back, but she survived.  Boy did I have a hard time keeping a straight line, probably because I had to drag the flannel through the machine to get it to go. Luckily it doesn't really show unless you take a good look at the edges.   And, ta-da! Here is the finished project.  It is quite large, almost 2 yards long, so it is perfect for 2 people to snuggle. It has the patterned flannel on one side, and a solid on the other.  There is actually supposed to be a decorative top stitch all the way around, but I was too afraid to do that and break my machine.  Pretty cute for my little man, can't wait to put it to use! Now off to make some pizza for dinner, because I am so over turkey.

7