Christmas is right around the corner

I mean how can you avoid knowing that it is almost that time right? All the stores have all but skipped over Thanksgiving and the aisles are filled to the brim with Christmas!! And I have to tell you it makes me so happy! I even snuck in my favorite Starbucks Christmas CD today - and I am ready!


Just to go along with my crazy festive mood, I want to share with you some past Holiday layouts/projects that I have created.

This one was from last year. I loved how the girls had "matching" outfits on (not planned).
Every year I try to make it a point to scrapook our Christmas cards. This one is a simple layout using Teresa Collins paper.
This is a little mini album I made for Alyson's first Christmas. I mean it was tiny - no more than 5 inches tall.

You always have to scrap getting the tree. Although this year I might do artificial. I also had fun including Pink with the red and green.

And a little card with a big bow - perfectly festive right?

I hope these have inspired you. I know they make me want to start my December Daily album!

Have a wonderful Friday!!

Michelle Lanning

Happy Holidays friends! Laina here today. Only 10 more days until Christmas. I'm pretty sure that I am the last of the WIP DT to share my Holiday favorites. Thanks for reading each day and getting to know more about us. Here goes...

Top 3 Holiday Movies:

Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas Who doesn't love Muppet Otters?

Home Alone Come on...Kevin was cute back then. Just the first one though.

Love, Actually Didn't the part where he shows up with the que cards just kill you?

Favorite Holiday Cookie:

Cranberry Shortbread Cookies - easy and delicious. I have to give them away or else I eat the entire recipe. Not kidding!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

16-ounce package Craisins chopped

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 325°F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour, a little at a time, until combined. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries. Cookies can be made into balls or flattened. To make round cookies, roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 dozen at a time on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from sheets; cool slightly and dust with additional powdered sugar.To make flat cookies, form dough into 1-inch balls as directed above. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar, flatten balls on cookie sheet, making rounds 2-inches in diameter. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Cool. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Naughty or Nice?

I'm turning forty soon.

I'm feeling naughty, not at all nice. :)

Top Holiday songs:

Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? Remember the 1st time you saw this video on MTV? Bono was my favorite part.

John Lennon - So This Christmas Classic.

The Kinks - Father Christmas Just plain cool.

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping Brings back high school memories.

Bowie/Sinatra - Peace on Earth The oddest match made in heaven.

Favorite holiday tradition:

Taking my children to The Polar Express on the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad and to Country Lights at Lake Metroparks Farmpark.

Least favorite part about the holiday:

Working at a retail store with Mall Hours. Would you really need to buy stickers at 11pm on a Sunday night?

Photo of favorite holiday project:

Premade Gingerbread House Kit from Costco. All we had to do was decorate!

Five items on your Wish List this year:

a baby girl
32 mb iPod Touch
more time

a cleaning lady
a new tattoo

Favorite childhood holiday memory:

Going to Higbee's downtown Cleveland to buy my family gifts at the Twigbee Shop. I thought I was so grown up.

Photos of our Holiday Decorations:

Not so tradional colors in my Family Room - Purple and Lime Green.

We had to put our tree up in our "empty" Living room because of one very bad little pug. (The living room is actually the boys Dart Tag room - no plans to decorate until the little guys get bigger!)