Happy December 5th and the 1st Week of Advent!
Good afternoon, Friends!
I pray you experience a restoration of Hope throughout this beautiful, yet busy season. Above all, He is the Reason for the Season!
My heart is happy to share some recent projects I have been working on with each of you! Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit like making custom Cricut projects for loved ones and friends.
Hint* Hint* - I have about 10 open spots for custom orders if you want to get something personalized to give as a Christmas gift. DM or email me katherine.bison22@gmail.com for inquiries.
I am going to touch on several topics for the blog today, so here is a quick summary:
How to Save & Display Christmas Cards Year After Year
Cricut Customs Holiday Cups
Cricut Customs Picture Frame Art
The women in my life have set the bar high on how to make a home welcoming, which invites guests in with great warmth and kindness. The eye for decorating is a gift and it is amazing what the right lighting, color tones, and artistic pieces can do for a space. These decorating tools certainly apply as we ready our homes for the holiday season. When I think of Chrismas traditions, I think of countless special memories:
Coming home from school, my mom would have the house decked out for Christmas - Advent Wreath, Tree, Garland, Nativity - it all played a role in preparing us for the season!
Matching Christmas PJ’s for the girls in the family.
Nana Kay’s Gigantic Christmas Village in her large hutch, which spreads great Christmas Cheer!
Throwing out Reindeer Feed on Christmas Eve - which I am 90% sure was comprised of dry oats and glitter, but every Christmas Day the Panhandle Wind had surely scattered the reindeer feed.
The St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Advent Play - for us it felt like we were auditioning for Broadway.
Endless games played around the kitchen table from Clue, Monopoly, or Dominoes.
Gammy’s Egg Nog - no, not the gross pre-made grocery store kind. No, this recipe is for drool-worthy, whipped with love, Egg Nog that makes you want your own Christmas Vacation Moose Mug.
Setting up a card table, just to contain the overflowing selection of sweets - honorable mentions: Mom’s Rum Cake, Nana Kay’s Peanut Brittle, and Aunt Ann’s Popcorn Cake.
For many years we traveled to my sweet great-grandmother’s home in Alice, TX, which was about a 12-hour drive from Texline. We all called her Nanny Katherine (what a blessing to share her name). She passed in 2019, but I will never forget how creative “Santa” was in making sure our big Santa gifts got delivered before we departed to go down South. Our parents could only fit so many packages in a Ford Expedition! So, we would get a special Christmas letter detailing that the elves and reindeer made an early delivery on behalf of Santa and to run outside and look to see what he brought!
I could go on and on! Very thankful for my special childhood Christmas memories and looking very forward to making the ones to come. Throughout December, another special task we had growing up was to gather all the Christmas Cards from the mailbox. I can’t pinpoint exactly when she started this, but my mom’s best friend, who I affectionately call my #2 Mom started binding her Christmas cards with an O-ring. She would gather all her Christmas cards each year and bind them with an O-ring. The stack of cards rests on the bar in her kitchen for all family and friends to grab a stack and flip through the photos, messages, and well wishes. It’s so handy! Then you can save your Christmas cards through the years and display them for all guests to see.
I started doing the same thing in 2021 and it is one of my favorite additions to our Christmas traditions. We went from 2021 (engaged) to 2022 (married) and now 2023 (married for a whole year and 6 months)! I am sentimental and nostalgic to the core. Can you tell? I will let you know what I plan to do 20 years from now when I have 20 stacks of Christmas Cards on o-rings, but I promise they will be stored in a happy spot as I could never bring myself to get rid of them! :)
Onto #2 for the blog - Cricut Customs Holiday Cups
The Walmart Holiday Shop has some great options! I picked up these light-up, bulb cups for next to nothing and personalized them with an initial. The initials I made, by utilizing my Cricut vinyl. They turned out very festive and fun!
And lastly, #3 for the blog today - Cricut Customs Picture Frame Art
It seems like glass picture frame art or floating frames are all the rave right now. TJ Maxx is my number-one go-to for picture frames. I also found some nice picture frames from At Home that are that glass, floating frame type. I have not done this but would love to give it a try - and restore vintage frames that have been thrifted and then use Rub n’ Buff to fix them up or replace the glass if needed. So if you have any tips or tricks for Facebook Marketplace, Thrift Stores, etc. to source frames from, let Lady K know!
I made this picture frame art piece using a floating frame, scrapbook paper, double-sided tape, and removable vinyl.
I first cut my scrapbook paper to size. I liked this paint splatter paper design as it compliments our living room with tones of navy, gold, and pink.
I opened up the floating frame and applied double-sided tape to the scrapbook paper. Then, I centered and adhered the paper to the glass frame. I applied the sheet of glass that covers the back of the frame.
Once the frame was locked back into place, I generated my Cricut design using removable vinyl. Removable vinyl is extremely handy for temporary products as it can be removed easily without any damage or sticky residue.
I chose this Zach Bryan quote, “I do not and will not fear tomorrow, because I feel as though today has been enough”
As you can imagine, my Spotify Wrapped included a high percentage of Zach Bryan, especially his 2023 self-titled album “Zach Bryan.” That quote or line is from his Fear and Friday’s (Poem). He is a great songwriter and I think it’s impressive how many songs he has written himself.
I think that line serves as an excellent reminder that we are not promised tomorrow. We only have right now and that has to be enough. If that is not enough…what changes do we need to make in our lives to get us where we need to be?
After weeding the word design for the frame, I applied the removable vinyl to the frame and I had this awesome finished product!
Lady K’s One Thing:
A List of My Favorite Christmas Gift Items for 2023
For the cooks in your life:
Peg’s Salt - Shop B.Whimsy - https://bit.ly/3GzOW7U
Geometry Towels - these dish towels will get you through washing your entire bottomless Christmas dinner sink and then some. The quality is amazing! Shop them at B. Whimsy - they can ship! https://bit.ly/3GzOW7U
Mustard Seed Seasonings - https://bit.ly/3t33JEw Check out their Christmas offerings under the tab “Tis’ the Seasonings”
For the newly married couple:
Smallwoods Canvas Art - 30% off sitewide!!! https://bit.ly/3T8d2xx
Christian Art:
Chelsea McShane Art - https://bit.ly/46HiR8l
Peace and Joy,
Lady K
Comments