HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hey All! Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! It is just a little after midnight here so "officially" it is Thanksgiving! I wanted to post the card that I'm giving to my Mom, Jay's Mom, and Jay for today. I'm also posting some pics of a project I made on my own to use as favors to lay at each place setting for dinner. And then at the end of the blog I'll list some things that I am thankful for. Here is the card:



I have always been afraid to mix patterned paper. So many of you do it so well, but I just don't feel comfortable with it. However, I went outside my comfort zone and chose these two patters to put together. I think they look pretty good together, but some of you may be snickering or going ewwwwwwww. Oh well, I tried. But I do like how it all came together. I'll list all supplies at the end of the blog. One thing I do want to mention, I used a new set of shimmery paints that I ordered from Impress Rubber Stamps. The paint set is by Yasutomo. I used the orange shimmery paint on the pumpkin image and you can see it better in the picture below:



As you hold the card and move it from side to side is gives this cool reflective shimmery look. The paint is very transparent and came in 24 colors I think in the set. It was really reasonable too. You just touch your brush with water and then into the hard paint pot and brush it on over the image. It is very translucent. Very cool stuff.

Now here is the project I did to go with the cards at the table settings. I bought each of them one of those large candy bars. I have seen on lots of blogs where people make sleeves for the candy bar. Well, I was already upstairs and didn't want to come back down stairs to log on and try to look through several blogs for the measurements. So, I thought "how hard can it be to wrap paper around the candy, get the measurements, and make them myself. So that's what I did. Here is the finished product (but read on after because I came up with what I think is kind of a nifty thing).






See the band up there? It really isn't a full belly band. It worked out perfect because the whole sleeve and band can be made from one 8 1/2 X 11 piece of card stock with one cut! Super easy. The sleeve is pretty much self explanatory. But on the band, you score it so that it wraps around long ways and slides behind the candy bar in the sleeve. Look below:









How fun is that? Once that is tucked on each end, the candy bar stays firmly in place and does not slide out even when you hold it up and shake it! Pretty cool huh? I didn't want to have to cut a second strip and tape them together to do the traditional belly band, so this was my solution born out of being lazy! Hope you can use it. I plan on doing these for Christmas stocking stuffers. I envision them with cool winter paper and a sparkly snowflake on the circle. Once I had my measurements down, it literally took me 20 minutes to do all 3 of them!

OK, now to a few things I'm grateful for. My list could go on and on, but I will make a short list of the important stuff.

1. I'm grateful to be alive and to enjoy the things that I do.

2. I'm grateful for a Mom who is supportive and always there when you need her.

3. I'm grateful for my 22 year relationship. Jay has provided the grounding for me, and even though there are a lot of difficulties we fight with his MS, we are still together and going strong.

4. I'm grateful for my beautiful Giants. They supply the joy in my life and the perspective I need on life. They keep teaching me what unconditional love really is, and I love them so much for that.

5. I'm grateful to be living in a free country. Every day that goes by as I read about the horror and terror that goes on in other countries, I thank God that I live in the United States.

6. I'm so grateful to those men and women who make the above possible for me every day. I can't image their and their familie's sacrifice, but I'm thankful for it every day.

7. I'll end this list with something else that I am grateful for, and that is all of you! Every day when I log on to my email and see the wonderful, supportive, and uplifting comments you leave for me on every post, it just makes my life so much richer. I've met so many wonderful, generous people through this crafting/blogging thing, and I am so much better for it and because of you. So on this day of giving thanks, I give thanks for all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones. Make sure you count your blessings today! You are counted among mine.

Best,

Curt O'Brien

"God help me be the person my dogs think I am."