In keeping with new traditions

While I worked on my snowmen gifts yesterday, Anne created her name tag for the guest room. While Kip has always claimed the guest room as her own, we now have a lovely collection of name tags to argue the opposite. In Ft. Myers, we would take a picture of each of our guests and put them into precut mats that said, "Welcome" and "Friends" but we were running out of the photo display letters and new house, new traditon. Since the guest room is done with my inherited antiques, what E and I have proposed to do is take each guests photo with their room sign, turn them into sepia and find old frames at flea markets. These will all go over the closet door!

Speaking of my snowmen. I made these for friends one year in St. Louis and everyone seemed to enjoy them. You put the snowman over a candle or one of those neat new flickering non-flame ones and he is illuminated from within. I am in the process of completing six new ones this year. One goes to my Secret Stocking pal this coming Sat. night for the exchange and one to my next door neighbor here....now that leaves me four...what oh what shall I do with these? I have a couple of pals who will be receiving them as gifts over the next couple of weeks and, if you like these, you can make your own. I am posting the directions at Creative Scrap Shack later this afternoon after we take dear Anne to the airport. (www.creativescrapshack.com)

My two favorite sites of all times are both offering real deals on shipping. Gerri-anne at Kit and Kaboodle(www.knkclub.com) is offering free shipping on store purchases when you buy the December kit up until Dec. 24 and Creative Scrap Shack has gone to one price shipping of (hope I am correct here)...4.95, with free shipping on orders over 60.00....

And Hang Ten Paper Arts is having our first ever December Christmas sale with many of the kits at reduced or half price. Check them out at www.hilltopmemories.com