What We Got For Christmas (Better Late Than Not At All)

 Hey Y'all!

I know these type of blogs aren't for everyone, but I love seeing what others received. Therefor I also like to share what we got each year. It's kind of a tradition at this point. But, if this blog isn't for you, no worries, just skip it and I'll "see ya" for the next one!

Last Christmas-

https://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2023/12/what-we-got-for-christmas.html

2022-

https://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2022/12/what-we-got-for-christmas.html

2021-

https://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2021/12/what-we-got-for-christmas.html

I'll start with my husband Chris:

 I got him a Dremel Tool, and additional accessories but he already had it put away before I took pictures. I also got him State of Decay 1 & 2 for PC, he has them on Xbox One and really liked them. As well as 2 new pair of pants, thicker and better for winter van life.

From my Mom he received $100 cash, which we used for the propane stove he wanted, and some wall panels for the canopy.

From my sister & family he got a bunch of different candies & snacks to try, some Skittles beverages, and a bottle of espresso alcohol:

From hubby I got:

Wet 'n Wild's Alice in Wonderland & Scooby Doo Collections. As well as some new nail polish.

From Mom & Sis and Family I got:

Clothes, a new tumbler, books, a Bridgerton stamp set, & wine!

Brunilda, the van got some items too, they just haven't arrived yet-

a new tire cover, this cheap one lasted over a year, but it's been torn for a few months now

a where we've been map (USA) for the side window

blackout vinyl, we have this and finished one (of 3) windows Christmas day

window tint, for the driving windows (front and rear)

The last item came in early and was put in on Christmas day... a new mattress!

We had a traditional Christmas dinner this year at Mom's house. We opened presents, chatted, played Rummy, and ate until well into the evening! It was a nice time.

How were your holidays? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

How To: Larger Than Mat Cuts (Cricut Explore Series, and Cricut Joy)

 

How- To Cricut, Larger Than Mat Cuts, and Other Tips

 Hey Y'all!

First up today is how to cut larger than mat, with your Explore, Maker, or any machine without using smart materials.

I'll start with written instructions, and follow with pictorial.

Written Instructions:

1) Pick your design, and size to fit the material you've chosen to adhere it to. (Large sign, wall decal, etc.)

2) Find the easiest way to SLICE and fit to your mat. Try not to separate in the middle of a letter, number, or key element.

3) Slice each section needed, remember you can only slice with 2 layers.

4) Load material on the mats, CUT.

5) Weed design, apply transfer tape if needed.

6) Piece back together. I like to adhere one section at a time and then work from there.

7) Once all pieces are back together and adhered I like to burnish it all down one more time.

8) Admire your work!

Pictorial Instructions:

(1-4, I'm assuming if you're looking at how to do larger than mat you know how to cut, and layer. If you need help with that please message me on social media, or leave a comment below.)

I'll use a 12x24 Mat first, followed by 12x12.

I chose this one, because I'm from Mtn TN, not music. This design (available in DS) is too big to fit either mat.

In hindsight, if this were a real cut I was going to make, I should have chosen the straight edge square, and not the curve, but the process is the same.

I quickly figured out this was going to have to be 3 pcs. I decided to slice at mountain peeks, and avoid slicing into letters as much as possible. You slice where it's easiest for you to piece back together.

Separated!

For this size a 12x24mat would need loaded 3 times.

A 12x12 is going to be 6 mats.

Working with the slices I already took for the 12x24 mat.

Now it'll all fit on 12x12 mats.

Mat one, of 6 if using a 12x12.

Once it's all cut, piece it back together, and apply. I like to do one section at a time, that way I can work a bit easier, and not have too many elements flopping around at once.

(Would you like a video? Let me know!)

OTHER TIPS:

Instead of duplicating an image in DS, and trying to figure out how many copies you can fit, use the PROJECT COPIES from the make screen. You can still move images around from here if needed.

How to turn Grid on & off~

How to change Canvas color:

What other Cricut How-TO's would you like to see? More tips & tricks? Cricut hacks? Let me know in the comments below!

Larger than Joy Cutting Mat!

Step 1) Open DS and choose your image.

2) Load it on the canvas:

3) Choose a shape, I find the square easiest to work with, and lay it over top of your image.

4) Size the square to the limitations, the Joy will allow. (Less than 4in width.)

5) Slice the square from the image. I could have made this longer, and only had two cuts, but this way we get the practice in.

6) Repeat steps 3-5.

7) Get ready to prep your mats and cut your image(s).

8) Connect your Joy if not already done.

9) Cut all your mats and piece your project back together!

Thanks!

Any questions? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Books! (AKA What I've Read Recently)

 Hey Y'all,

Sorry I'm a few days late here... let's blame the Holiday prep.

I recently realized I could use my google play (rewards) money to buy books, so there are a few purchases from there in the mix too.

First off though I'll start with this one:

1)  Christmas Bodyguard, Margaret Daley

Slade, a wealthy Texan, and his daughter are under attack. But why, and from whom? 

He hires Elizabeth as a bodyguard for his daughter, and while they try to figure out the who, sparks fly.

Christmas Bodyguard is well written, and I had several suspects in my head but never did figure it out.

The characters are well fleshed out, and all of them are easy to visualize. The story flows well, and it's an easy read.

Someone's after wealthy Texan Slade Caulder's daughter. Desperate to keep her safe while he determines the motive, the widowed father hires a bodyguard for Abbey. A female bodyguard, with the training to protect the girl and an understanding of a willful teenager who keeps trying to outsmart her. Elizabeth Walker is the perfect combination of caring and toughness for her job. But as the holidays approach, the stalker's threats escalate. And Slade finds himself willing to risk everything to keep his Christmas bodyguard by his side forever.

This review sums it up well:

I was quickly drawn into the story which starts with a father teaching his daughter to drive. Then, fasten your seatbelt as the story takes off! Slade is a man who started his own business and is raising his daughter alone after the death of his wife five years earlier. Now, it seems there is someone with nefarious intent to bring real harm to Abby, Slade’s daughter, or is the real target the father?
Once you start reading the book you will become so engrossed in the high tension and captivating turn of events, you won’t want to put the book down until you reach the last page! I couldn’t believe how fast the story moves. It almost felt like a slow roller coaster that then surprises the riders by picking up the pace which is off the scale.
Then the author introduces the personal bodyguards hired for both the daughter and the father which brings a whole new aspect to the tale. Try as they might a couple of the characters are finding themselves strongly attracted to each other when they least expect this to occur. While the book is older, the story is solid and riveting! Don’t miss reading the book that will take you on an adventure with twists and turns you might not see coming!

2) Yuletide Baby, Deb Kastner

I had the physical copy of the book, but passed it on to a lady I met from Netherlands, at a camp ground. She had seen me reading, and we struck up a conversation. In so she said she'd just finished the last Dutch book she'd brought, and didn't really want to read on her Kindle yet.

Yuletide Baby was a cute, easy read. The story was simple, and it was well written.

It's a Love Inspired story about an abandon baby on Christmas Eve. What will the pastor do with the infant?

Shawn O'Riley is shocked to find a baby girl abandoned at his church on Christmas Eve. He's a pastor and a cowboy not a daddy! Haunted by family tragedy, he's not sure he can risk his heart to baby Noelle or to anyone else. But he needs help. Experienced foster mom Heather Lewis was anticipating a quiet holiday. When Shawn pops up at her door, she's happy to show him the ropes of baby care but isn't prepared for the way he melts the walls around her heart. Can Shawn and Heather give each other the best Christmas gift of all family and love?  

3) Christmas Homestead, Kara Tate

I picked this one up on a whim, for $3 at Ollie's. It definitely reads like a Hallmark movie, which was the intent. I still enjoyed the book, but I haven't seen the movie. 

A small town inn owner/mayor has to deal with a huge movie production, and the actors taking over the town to film their Christmas movie. Sparks fly and tempers flare. It's easily a one or 2 day read, and was enjoyable, especially at this time of year.

 

Treat yourself to books inspired by Hallmark Christmas movies. Enjoy a heartwarming, feel-good story…and find out what happens after the movie ends. A Hollywood movie star. A small-town single dad. A magical romance. Christmas is almost here, but Jessica has other things on her mind. Being the producer as well as the star of her new movie is a big challenge, and her co-star ex-boyfriend doesn’t seem to be quite over her. Still, she has the project carefully planned out, and the location is perfect: Homestead, Iowa. Matt, the mayor of Homestead, owns the inn where Jessica and her co-star are staying. He barely knows who Jessica is, even though his young daughter, Sophie, is one of her best fans. Christmas became even more important to Matt after his wife passed away, and he isn’t happy about the Hollywood production interfering with the community’s traditions. After Jessica makes more than one faux pas in her first encounter with Matt, she tries to prove that she isn’t just a Hollywood stereotype. Gradually, she grows enamored with Homestead...and with him, which was definitely not part of her plans. Matt’s falling for her, too, but their two worlds clash. Can an innkeeper and an A-list actress really hope for a romantic future together? This sweet story includes a free original recipe for Snowflake Cherry Pie.

4-6) A Christmas Colorado Collection, Debbie Mason

This was the Google Play (Books) purchase. I really liked the book I read previously (Snowbound at Christmas) and mention in that blog that I was glad I picked the book up and would look for the others. It was only like $8 USD for the trio on Google, so it was an easy yes.

I like how the characters are all still present in each others stories, but the main focus on the book is the lead couple. Each story was heartwarming, and full of  mishaps and community. I really like these and will try to figure out the order in which they go to read the rest.

I have already read Snowbound, but it's still hard to figure Ethan (It Happened At Christmas) as their brother, they're all just so very different.

 
The Trouble with Christmas
Resort developer Madison Lane spoiled a deal that would turn quaint Christmas, Colorado, into a tourist's winter wonderland. The citizens want her fired, but her company sends Madison to the small town to restore the holiday cheer. For Sheriff Gage McBride, no hotshot executive from New York City is going to destroy the dreams of the people he loves. But in just a few days, Madison causes more trouble than he's had to deal with all year. He can't decide if she's naughty or nice, but one thing is for certain-Christmas will never be the same again . . .

Christmas in July Grace Flaherty had given up hope of ever seeing her husband again after he went missing in combat. So when he strides through the door of her bakery, she can hardly believe her eyes. But her happily-ever-after is going to take some effort-because Jack has no memory of his family. All Jack Flaherty remembers about Christmas is that he couldn't wait to leave town. Now he's a local hero with a wife and son he doesn't know. Even as he struggles to rekindle the romance with his wife, he knows in his heart what he wants: a second chance at love.

It Happened at Christmas
Free-spirited activist Skylar Davis hides out in Christmas, hoping to forget the reckless actions of her past. All goes well . . . until she comes face-to-face with one of her mistakes: the town's gorgeous young mayor. Ethan O'Connor is about to move from small-town politics to the Colorado State Senate, but if word ever got out about the night he and Skye spent together, the scandal could cripple his career. Yet as he starts his campaign, Ethan finds that, like the town of Christmas itself, he can't get Skye out of his head . . . or his heart.

Reviews:

I feel like I could have written this one, lol.

5.0 out of 5 stars Maddie and Gage, Jack and Grace; Ethan and Skye

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

I loved these stories SO MUCH!!!! The first story got me glued to the "pages", the second was a bit emotional and I wanted to kill Maria myself, but I loved Skye the most . She was definitely my favourite character in all three books -- as a friend in the first two and the main character in the last. She is a bit weird and quirky but so adorable . Loved her. Now it's on to the next book. i am hooked.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Group Of Books By Debbie Mason.

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

I loved everything about this these books. The humor, sometimes mystery, how the town got involved in everyone's life trying to help them. They kept your interest and you could not put the book down. You get caught up in Madison, Grace and Skylar's life and you so want them to have a happy ending.

I would recommend these books to everyone. I look forward to reading more books by Debbie Mason.

7) Dear Santa, Debbie Macomber

While a little cheesy with the letters to Santa, it is a cute book.

Lindy had a great job, an awesome best friend, and a great boyfriend... Until the friends look for new apartments, and Lindy finds out her best friend and boyfriend are together. So she goes home for the holidays to get away from it all, and make some decisions.

The characters are great, you really get to know them all. Lindy is a likable heroine, and you really feel for her with the loss of not only her BF but also her long time friend, such a betrayal. The hero is also a likable, fun character. 

It's a fun Christmas story that's easily read in an afternoon.

Lindy Carmichael isn’t feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was “the one” has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up—but Lindy’s mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter’s spirits.
 
Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she’d wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen’s encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she’d done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways. And, thanks to some fateful twists of Christmas magic—especially an unexpected connection with a handsome former classmate—Lindy ultimately realizes that there is truly no place like home for the holidays.

What have you read recently? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife