YAPPING CAT STUDIO

Happy New Year!

I wanted to thank everyone for their kind get well wishes.  While we are feeling better, we are still both barking "like seals" (so lovely to hear) and fighting over the "good tissue" for nose blowing.  Sorry.  Prolly TMI. 

I've got new goodies, kits and great vintage Valentine things that I hope to get loaded up on Etsy this weekend, as well as, I hope to get caught up on shipping.  If you have an open order, I apologize profusely for the delay, and hope to get everything out asap. 

I hope you are enjoying the holidays.   See you on the other side of the double digits!

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and Happy New Year!  Whhhheeeeeeeee! 

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!

Was four days before Christmas

And all through the house,

Was heard lots of sneezing and coughing,

enough to scare a mouse. 

Temps were taken and chicken soup cooked,

In hopes that by Christmas, this stuff would be shook!

So the Merriest of Christmas, I do wisha you!

While here at the Studio, we pass the tiss-ue! 

Merry Christmas from the Yapping Cats, Sweet Hub and Me (achoo!)

-c

And the title is...

I like the idea of an enchanted winter forest.  Pine cones dusted with glitter. Soft golden light.  A place where something magical could happen. 

Since our bedroom has a lot of soft greens and brown, that tends to be the way that I go for decorating for Christmas there.  Not very traditional, but pretty. 

The dish above is a vintage butter dish.  I just need to add some "snow" to those pine cones and velvet leaves.  And perhaps some crystals from the bird cage. 

Here's a little brighter view. Don't ya like my moose's?  Gah.  I've forgotten, what is the plural for moose?

Tree in golds and greens with birds tucked in here and there. Very high, up out of the reach of the "furry toddlers". 

Little houses in somber shades of greens and browns.

It needs a wee bit more greenery and a few more touches.  I just have to be careful what I put out, cause there is one very naughty kitty that lives here.  We don't call him "Hoover" for nothing. 

Happy Monday.

PS...I forgot to tell ya!  While no one got it absolutely right....you were all oh-so-close!  The title of the red book is The Nympho and Other Maniacs by Irving Wallace!  LOL.  Nice for a holiday huh?  Maybe better suited for Valentines.

Random Thoughts and Screaming

Much like Macaulay Culkin, in the first Home Alone movie, I really do feel like slapping my face and screaming, "aaarrrggghhh".  Seriously.  

I love this season, I really do.  But if I could just find a tee that reads, "Bah Humbug" I would cheerfully don that grumpy apparel.  And wear it proudly. 

Why you ask?  Well, It just seems to me that people are at their rudest, most selfish and ugliest at a time when we should be more considerate, loving and caring.  Pushing and shoving, especially at an event that should be somewhat reverent.  But alas, what's a girl to do?  But complain for a moment to you all and then move on with life.

I'm on the home stretch in decorating.  Good thing too, eh?  Yeah.  As I've told you before, time management, not a strong point for me.  I'll show you a couple of pics tomorrow, cause I do have a fun table setting and then we will move on.  :D

But I'm still crafting, even though I'm jonesing (do we still use that word or is it passe' now?) to begin Valentine play.  

A few last things are going into Etsy .  I'll be shipping this week and then I think I'll take a short vaca on the shop (and maybe the blog as well) till after the big day.  

I put together another little kit, Winter White.  I was tempted to keep for myself, but ehh.  I need cash.  LOL. 

These vintage (I assume) glass paperweights were one of the coolest finds at the last estate sale.  An old photo or artwork would look cool underneath.

Never used, vintage cards.  Above are flocked.

These are 60's cheesy!

And who could resist these faces?  Great graphics on these two tiny reindeer.  All on my Etsy.

Well, I'm off to run in circles and wave my hands and scream some more.  :D

(in a whisper)...not really, I'm going to go watch White Christmas and drink some hot chocolate!)

Happy Sunday!

Make a Christmas Tag

If you are interested, I have a little tag tutorial here.

 

Christmas is Coming...

...the Cats are getting Fat! LOL.  Come on, sing it with me! 

Well, not getting, they are fat!  Pushing those fat cats aside, I'm slowly putting up Christmas decor. 

I got to putz around in the Studio for abit this morning.  I put together this little ornament.   You can't really see it, but it has a little bell at the bottom.  Perfect for being Merry with. 

I bought Santa's face a few years ago from work.  He remains one of my favorite decor pieces.

As is this sweetly stitched Merry Christmas sign.  And since I'm partial to the letter "M", it can stand for "Merry" as well.  And I'm just a sucker for Holly.

Since allot of the colors in my home are red, it kinda lends itself to Christmas decor, which is fun.

 

I like the letter "C" too!  And a mix of of decor.  Vintage to new.  Santa's to religious to snowmen.

You've already seen the entry way.  But here's a funny secret.  See that pretty red book.  It's a good thing you can't see the title.  It's not appropriate for the holiday season.  LOL.  I picked it up at an Estate Sale months ago and thought the cover color was perfect.  Regardless of the title.  A prezzie to the one who can guess the title.  No fair enlarging and peeking either.  LOL.

Well, I've got a few more things to re-arrange.  A few more ornaments to hang and one more small tree to decorate up and I'll be done.  Just in time to take it all down. 

Nawwwwwww.  I like to leave mine up till March. 

Seriously.  :D

Happy Thursday.

Recipe for Snow

Snow, those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow, oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow

What is Christmas with no snow
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow

Ah, thank you Mr. Berlin for those wonderful words of song about snow.  Beautiful, glistening snow. 

Here in Texas, its a pretty rare thing, unless you have a recipe!  And we do.  But first, we need something to put our "snow" in.

 

We're going to use this ordinary, glass lid.  I found it at the flea market last week.  We turn it upside down.  See, it becomes a tiny, cake stand.  Sorta.  But trust me, it will work.

The first thing we need is our "base".  Rummage in your pantry for your Kosher Salt.  Grab it.  Now, dash to your craft area and grab some pretty white glitter.  I use Sulyn (purchased at Hobby Lobby).  Its inexpensive and pretty.

With my upside down lid in front of me, I'm going to fill it with Kosher Salt.  Yep, dump it in.  I bring it just to the rim.  Now, I take my Sulyn and lightly dust the top, just enough to give it a little sparkle.

See?  Snoooooooww! 

I carefully add my building and a few tree's and viola!  Snow!

Brrrrrr!  A few tree's and a picket fence and you've got yourself a snowy, little scenery.  Just makes ya want to grab your mittens don't it?  This is also pretty in a jar with bells or Christmas balls or snowflakes. 

Snow, it won't be long before we'll all be there with snow

I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow, snow, snow, snow, snow*

Happy (bedtime) Tuesday!  Nite!

*words to the song, "Snow" by Irving Berlin from the movie White Christmas

The Veranda at Canton

OK, so I did not take many pics at Canton last week, cause I just could not get my fingers to work.  Yeah.  They were frozen.  But I did manage to squeeze out a few at The Veranda.  

Maggie always does the coolest displays and has the neatest merchandise (any wonder why she is one of our favorite Paper Cowgirl dealers?).  Ang had a fit over this Christmas tree.  Maggie said that her Mom had tied each of the ornaments on by hand.  Are Mom's not the best?

All of the ornies are vintage and just beautiful.  I fell in love with the jumbled look of all the goodies in this cabinet (pictured below).

Maggie always has a cool sense of style.  A suitcase full of silver, why yes, I'm stealing the hotel blind...

All kidding aside, this was my favorite piece in her shop. 

Is it not wicked cool?  (Click on to see the details).  Drool worthy indeed.

This one was pretty too! 

So if you get the chance at the next Canton show, stop in and tell Maggie hey and see for yourself the wonderful goodies and cool displays that she does. You won't be disappointed.

Trying to get my Elf Self in gear.

I'm behind.  Always behind.  But hey, life is what you make it huh?  And I'm really wondering again, how come I did not start this stuff back in July?  I thought about.  Even mentioned it to you.  But did I get it done?  Nope.  Thus another late night of trying to squeeze it all in (much to Sweet Hub's aggravation). 

I had a fun day with this gal Thursday.  As we decided to go to Canton (outdoor flea market) on a windy, chilly day when highs were only expected to be in the upper 40's.  Can you say wimp?  Yeah, it was COLD, with a capital C.  But gloves and scarves helped and we did find a few cool things and had a good time regardless of the nose, numbing cold.

Here is what I got done today. 

Comp books.  Fun huh?

 

This is my favorite.  Its the colors, I just love brown.

This was kinda fun and bright. 

But I think I like the back of it best!  LOL.

And you can't really tell it from the pic, but this one is itsy bitsy.  Awwwww.  Sweet. 

But again, brown wins hands down. 

They are all on my Etsy if you are interested.  I've got a few more that I'm still working on. 

And I'll have to show you a few pics that I took at Canton later this week.  Frozen fingers and all.  Good gosh...is there a 12 step program for going to flea markets?

Should I start one?

Happy (really early) Sunday!

What not to Send!

If you've ever watched the cable program, "What Not to Wear", you know that Stacy and Clinton take a perfectly normal gal and show her how fabulous she could be.  All she needs is a little glitz here and a great outfit there and viola!  She's amazing.  Such is the case with our Christmas Card here.

She's not bad.  She's just kinda plain.  (And she was cheap!)  But, she needs (as my Mom used to say) a little "oomph!".  So I dressed her up just a bit.

And Voila!  Just a few bits and pieces here and there out of the old craft stash, dresses her up from boring to pretty. 

And here at the Yapping House, well, with the economy being what it is (yep, he's still unemployed, glad that hope and change is really working out for us here), well, we are all about the budget. 

 

Since cash, time and creative quickness were all a factor, wellll what's a gal to do?  Like Tiger, I cheated.  LOL.  But NO, NOT that kind of cheating.  Unlike Mr. Woods I cheated  the "craft way!"

A plain, purchased card (see? cheater!), and add a few pretty bits from the Christmas stash bin and there you have it.  Its easy to cheat.  A little glue, a little glitter. 

A little ribbon, a little holly, added to an existing card.  And the results are what I like to call Craft Cheating.  And I did tell you that I was NOT going to make cards this year.  And I did'nt. 

The "Merry Christmas" badge was easy to pull off (gently).  Toss that cheesy ribbon.  And adorn away.  I could have gooten even more foufy, but I do want to send these through the mail. 

Quick.  And Cheap. 

But with pretty results. Click on pic to see the details.

Now, if only postage and a stop at the post office could only be as cheap and fast.  Well, one can dream can't they?  

Happy (Brrrrrrr!) Wednesday!