12 Days of Christmas...Day 11

Here we are on Day 11 of Melissa's and Mishie's 12 Days of Christmas countdown.

Speaking of countdowns, Christmas is approaching quickly. The lists are long but I'm getting items crossed off. How about you? My goal is to have all of my to do items finished by Monday so that I can fully enjoy my time with the little reds while they are on Christmas vacation.

So today's post is all about saving time and keeping things simple. Our theme for today's post is Punches and Dies....and making quick work for your crafty projects. I will be using Papertrey Dies for my projects today. I love how Melissa's set Love Lives Here has dies that coordinate with some of the stamp images from the set. So easy to make adorable little embellishments.

I needed a few more items to round out some gifts for my sister and my niece. Cards are always a good choice and they love them! My box was ready to mail so I needed to get these cards done speedy quick.

I chose a few sentiments that I liked from the stamp set and then die cut some of the cute houses. I stamped on images to complete the house, added some chunky glitter to the roof tops and then added them to my card front. I used a Fillable Frame #8 die cut image and ledger paper to create a cute scenery for the houses, complete with grass and tiny flowers which are both from Love Lives Here. October Afternoon patterned paper finishes off the card fronts. Card bases are Rustic Cream PTI cardstock. A few wraps of Chocolate Baker's Twine finishes off the cards. I'm really loving the baker's twine right now on cards. It adds a lot of dimension and interest without a lot of bulk. Love.
I hope you enjoy my simple, simply cards today. Gotta keep it real....and right now simple is best so that I can make the most of this joyous holiday season!

For my recipe today, I came across these delightful little Clothespin Cookies. So ME, right? They get the name because the dough is actually wrapped around round clothespins and then baked. I can't wait to try these over the holiday! So cute.

The link for the recipe is here.

(Recipe link and photo courtesy of My Baking Addiction)

Be sure to check out Melissa's blog today for her delightful post. :) Enjoy the weekend everyone!

We're off to a basketball tournament for Jordan's JV team. Good luck Jordy!! Hope you have a great weekend. Work hard to get those lists completed....then sit back and enjoy the holiday. That's what it's all about, friends.