I'm Back!!!!

Happy Saturday everyone!!! I hope everyone had a great time this week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It is so good to be home again!! It was quite a long drive and a very exhausting trip, but it was so worth it. We had a great time and I started my Christmas shopping. My nieces' gifts are almost done and I started on Izzy. We have decided that since there is enough kids now that we would just get gifts for the kids and not the adults. Jason and I will get a family gift instead of individual gifts. It works out really well. We have all gotten old enough now that there really isn't anything that we want or need and it is more fun to watch the kids open gifts than it is to watch the adults. (Although I definitely think stamps should be considered a family gift. I mean they bring the whole family so much joy!! lol!)

Well, I got to meet three new cousins this weekend. I just can't believe how quickly our family grows!! I met my twin cousins who are now 9 months old and their little niece who is 1 month old. They are all so adorable. It almost makes me wish to have another one, ALMOST!

Izzy had a fantastic time playing with her older cousins. They were really good with her. They handed her toys and tickled her and were really gentle. She loved all the attention and would grab onto their hands and go off and play. I told Jason that next year I bet she will be spending the night with them. My baby is growing up!

Okay, onto the card. I only have one card to share today as, like I said, we have been gone the last couple of days and today we were in the card for almost six hours. However, it is one of my favorite cards. I have had this idea in my head for quite awhile but hadn't gotten around to executing it. Well, on Monday, I decided that it was high time I put ink to paper and here it is.

I love this card because it turned out almost exactly like I pictured it, which rarely happens. I started this card off by stamping Nativity Max and Nativity Milly by Spiral Whisper on white card stock and coloring them in with my stampin' write markers and copics. I then cut them out and set them to the side. My next step was to create the stable. This was actually really easy. I cut out a piece of dark brown card stock and cut off the top corners to make a roof line. I then attached two rectangles of the same card stock to the bottom edges of the backside and folded them around the front. This created the stable doors. Lastly, I folded a long skinny rectangle in thirds and attached it to the top, backside and folded it over to create the roof line. For the wood inside the stable and doors, I used a piece of light brown card stock and using my ruler, copics and stampin' write markers I drew in faux wood. I left it in a sheet for the inside and cut it into strips for the gates. I rounded the corners off to create a little character and added two brown brads and some string to tie the doors together. To complete the stable, I added a rounded rectangle of dark brown card stock to the top and cut up some mustard card stock to resemble hay. I applied this same technique to the mustard card stock and adhered it to the bottom. I then popped off my Max and Milly figurines and adhered the star to the top. I decided to keep the layout simple and layered on brown card stock and DP. Isn't this just so cute!!!! I love the figurines. They are whimsical yet remind you of the reason for the season.

Well, I know this is a short posting, but I am exhausted. Thank you all for stopping by this week and have a great rest of the weekend!!!