GETTING CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT!

OK, it's getting really close to midnight!  Get those champagne glasses ready to toast in the New Year!

BRAND NEW STAMPIN UP!

SU! releases the all new Occasions Mini Catalog on January 4th.  This mini is jam packed with so many new stamp sets, papers, accessories and more!  It is certainly a delight for the New Year!  If you are on my regular mailing list, you should have received your mini catalog in the mail. Otherwise I'll have a link here on January 4th so you can view it online.  Check it out for great products and order online Jan. 4th or send me your order today and I'll make sure to get it ordered for you!  In honor of the upcoming New Year,  I have a brand new card using the Blessed Mother stamp set.  This may be my favorite stamp set in the mini catalog.

Check out the new Handmade by stamp!  It's only $4.95.  If you make cards or scrapbook pages or anything crafty that you give away, you will want to have this stamp to show your creativity.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

IT'S NEW YEAR'S EVE!

2010 is almost over and 2011 is on it's way.  I wish all the best to all of you!

THANK YOU CHRISTMAS CARD FOR MY MOM AND DAD

I needed to send my parents a thank you for their wonderful Christmas gifts that they sent to us.  We saw them at Thanksgiving and couldn't go up this week.  They sent us Christmas strufoli (italian delicacy) poppyseed and nutbread, a great card with a Christmas wish, and a wonderful painting my father made.  We wanted to get a nice thank you card to them right away.  Above is the card I made for them.  Everything is SU! except the Santa stamp that I borrowed from Tim Holtz and the swirled candy design on the pear pizzaz card stock I borrowed from sizzix.  Do you like how I added my SU! rhinestones to the holly?

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This is the envelope I made.  I colored the merry christmas with stampinwrite markers and then added crystal effects to it.  I think they'll like getting this card in the mail.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SISTER

CHRISTINA!

MAY ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE!

LOVE, 

Maria, Bill and JP

CARD FOR HOUSEKEEPING AT MY WORK

One of the housekeepers where I work asked me to make her a general card.  I was a little stumped, only in that she wanted to send it to a friend who is a man.  I'm hoping this will work.  Everyone knows I make cards and loves them.  I wish I had more time to make for everyone who wants one.  This lady works really hard and I know it will mean a lot to her.  I used the stamp set Upsy Daisy which I love.  This will certainly be one of those timeless stamp sets you reach for again and again. 

My ink color and card stock color is marina mist.  I love this color.  I also did some embossing with my Big Shot and used some smooch spritz to shimmer up the card a bit.  The thinking of you is from sincere salutations.

LUIGI FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Merry Christmas 

from

my dog

LUIGI

STILL WISHING ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS and GIVING STAMPED GIFTS

Here are some gifts that I gave with stamped tags or envelopes.  Most use my favorite Big Deal alphabet.

 These were some of the gifts for Linda and her family.

 We sent a box of goodies to my son's school!

Steve L was the recipient of secret santa.  I made his tag and he says he's going to use it for a bookmark which is great because I gave him a book on the history of cancer (it's on the best seller list and was what he wished for). The tag uses an older alphabet stamp set and a new set called Bingo Bits.

SANTA WAS HERE!

Another Christmas!  First we went to Church - which was wonderful. The Mass was beautiful.  The orchestra and the choir did a great job with the music. My friend Sandi met us there which was nice and we saw our next door neighbors there too! I love how we light candles after Communion and do a Meditation.

Next we came home and took a family photo by the tree and then watched It's a Wonderful Life.  We were in bed by 9:45 pm.  Can't believe that.  JP actually headed to bed at 9pm.  By the way...we are all wearing what we received for Christmas.  Bill has on the olive shirt I bought him.  JP is wearing the waffle knit red shirt my parents gave him.  I am wearing a lovely black sweater with frilly neckline and bodice that Sandi gave me.

Somewhere between 12 and 3 am, Santa arrived.  Our living room looked truly magical.  It was a wonderful sight to behold this morning.

Just like last year, Santa left footprints on my rug.  He ate JP's cookies and drank the milk that JP left out for him. Presents were left by the tree waiting for us to get up and enjoy them.  Hope I get some scrappin and stampin stuff!  More photos later! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SILENT NIGHT

All is Calm!  All is Bright!

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!
Have you been good this year?

If you have been, I wish that you get everything on your list.  As for me...I am hoping there will be peace on earth and good will to all.  I pray for all who need it.  My list is filled with peace and hope for a great new year to come.  But of course,  I'll take some stampin and scrappin supplies if there is room on the sleigh!

CHRISTMAS ON THE POTOMAC

For Christmas this year, we treated ourselves to a 2 night 3 day stay at the Gaylord National Hotel on the Potomac River.  So Cool!  Included in our Package was a great ICE show featuring the Grinch.  2 million lbs of ice were sculptured to highlight the story How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  There was colored and clear ice depicting all of the scenes from the great story.  In addition, there also were ice carvings depicting the Nativity Scene.  We could take pictures and these were some of the highlights. Inside the ICE show, the temperature was 9 degrees!  It was fine for the first 2 minutes and then it was freezing inside.  They gave us a parka to wear to help cut the chill.

We even had the opportunity to go ice skating.  Here I am getting ready to do my pirouette.  LOL!

I'm a little rusty, but I am getting around great!

The ice sculptures were incredible.  I think the ice carvers start in September preparing for this wonderful event that will go until sometime in January.  The details are incredible.

 Each night the hotel had a tree lighting ceremony which was awesome.  Then at various times, they played Christmas music and had a colorful dancing fountain that was synchronized to the music.  It was such a highlight of our trip and we saw it several times.

 Another thing that was really cool, was that every night there was a live snowfall in the atrium - inside the hotel!  Really cool.  Here JP is trying to catch some flakes.

 Can you see some of the flakes on my coat.  It was really coming down, but the camera doesn't catch it as much as you can see live in person.

And, the highlight of the whole trip was seeing the Grinch!  He was a wonderful host and not mean by any means!  Santa was also there and we were sure to visit him too!

Truly, it was a spectacular stay.  I think I took almost 1000 photos in the three days we were there.  I hope to post more soon.  If you live in the area or are headed to DC at all over the holidays, try to see this hotel and all of the wonderful events. 

Good Morning from Christmas on the Potomac

One of our Christmas gifts was a stay at the Gaylord Hotel for Christmas on the Potomac.  So cool.  This is a typical morning.  I'm up early making scrapbook pages.  This one uses MDS digital program by SU!.  I love how easy and elegant this program is!

ANOTHER GREAT QUICK GIFT IDEA

I saw something similar to this on someone's blog and thought that this would be easy to make.  The original creator (sorry I have looked at so many blogs I don't remember who originally made this) used glasses from the dollar store.  I was in Wegman's in Hunt Valley and I saw these non shatter glasses for about $3 and picked up  a few.  I'm really happy with the results and I think these look really classy.

I would love to have this to sit on my desk or adorn my holiday table.  I gave one of these to my Jenny Craig counselor Robbin.  She loved it!  I think I'll have to make a few more of these to give away as they are so easy and using the SU! decor elements sheets and the Big Shot was super easy!

Shelli Gardner CEO of SU! on the Today Show Gives to Toys for Tots

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VINTAGE STYLE HOLIDAY CARD

I am totally responsible for the design of this card and envelope.  Yes, it is a Maria Original.  I needed something really awesome for my coworkers - who are great hospital colleagues and who work really hard all year.  My envelopes are addressed using the Big Deal Alphabet!

 I embossed just about everything on these cards using my Big Shot and my SU! embossing folders which were just perfect for this card.  Each card is slightly different. Notice that the one below has a button and the one just above does not.  Some of the designer paper is different also!

Abby got this card and Andre got the one above.  All of the cards were brushed with champagne shimmer paint by SU!  which I love immensely.  I got it all over my fingers and was delighted with the results!

The ribbon is always artichoke seam binding.  Isn't it cool to use it as a ribbon on the cards?  Also, note the glitter on the envelopes over the Big Deal letters!  Love it!

O COME LET US ADORE HIM

This is my Christmas card for family and friends this year.  I used the stamp set Come to Bethlehem.  This is an original card I came up with.  I love the brushed gold on soft suede card stock.  This is one of the best Religious Christmas stamp sets that SU! has produced over the years.  I recently sent this card to my brothers and sisters, other close family and friends.  The stamped envelope coordinates very well. Do you like the rhinestone in the center of the star?  It reminds me of the star on top of my Christmas tree.

GREAT CHRISTMAS IDEA

I found these little Elf suit bags online and thought they would be the most adorable little packaging for holiday mints.  I packaged up a few cups of these soft mints that I bought at Sam's club into clear baggies from SU! and attached a pretty SU! dotted swiss grosgrain ribbon.  The tags are die cut with the Big Shot and then I added another Big Shot die cut Peace and Love (exlusive SU!).  I've already given a few of these as gifts and they were super simply easy to put together.  Everyone who has received one so far has smiled!