Believe...

Christmas can be such an overwhelming affair...if you let it. I gave a bit of advice to a dear friend and relative of mine who was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the thought of everything she'd like to accomplish before Christmas. My advice was to write things down, make lists, check things off or eliminate items that just don't merit the anxiety that accompanies them. As I sat down to work on Jen's SFYTT, I decided to use the sketch for the cover of a journal/notebook of some sort for her in hopes that she'd take my advice (am I full of myself or what?!) and ultimately ease her mind.

What luck--I'd picked up this 5 1/4 x 7 1/8" chipboard album on clearance at Target yesterday and it was perfect for my project. The album was actually part of a Halloween album complete with die cuts, ribbon, etc. that I'll put away for next year. I covered the album with Cosmo Cricket's Wonderland patterned paper and stamped minimally using stamps from PaperTrey Ink's Out On A Limb and CHF's Joyeux Noel sets. The die cut bird is Stampin' Up's Birds & Blooms and the flower peeking out is another from an unmarked bag of die cut blooms I picked up at my LSS last week, no source.

Be sure to check out Jen and Becca's sketch samples at iheart2stamp.com, and then look for more inspiration from Amy, Carole, Shannan and Susan. Last but not least, don't let the upcoming holiday season overwhelm you, do what you can when you can!