Better Late Than Never for As You See It Challenge 017

It's really late, I know, but I needed a blog post for you today and I really liked the sketch for As You See It Challenge 017, so I decided to do a card for the challenge anyway!  Besides, I'm itching to get into the new Occasions Catalogue material anyway!  Here's the sketch:

That Amanda, she's so talented!  You really should try some of these sketches and enter these challenges!

Here's my Design Team Sample:

• I'll bet you can hardly wait to get your hands on some of these new products from the Occasions Catalogue!  As soon as it goes live on Jan. 3, I'll be taking orders!  Or you can shop on-line 24/7 at my On-Line Stampin' Up! Store.
• On my Smoky Slate card base, I've used a background panel of Watercolour Wonder Design Series paper.  All the new Design Series Paper will be included in the product shares from the new catalogue.  Keep an eye on my blog for the details next week.
• The sentiment is one I keep having to remind myself about (see my Christmas story below) and you will be able to get this stamp and more like it in the Perfect Pennants stamp set

• I've used a torn piece of Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock to emphasize the "Life doesn't have to be perfect" bit.  The little chevron arrows are from the Circle Card Thinlit accessories dies.
• The rolled flowers are made with a new Originals Die - the Spiral Flower Originals Die.  The size of the flowers it creates are quite large, but I think you could make them smaller by cutting off some of the spiral.  I trimmed off some of the edge to make it shorter.  I will do a video tutorial on how to use it when the catalogue goes live.

I hope your Christmas was a wonderful one.  I know mine was!  It wasn't perfect or even as we had planned, but in the end, it was satisfying and heart-warming.  My daughter, son-in-law and my almost 2 year old grandson came to spend the holiday with us.  We were so excited to have a little one in the house again for the Christmas season!  We planned all sorts of fun activities.  Then, two days before they were to travel here, little Parker came down with a fever and illness, probably the flu.  The fever left before they travelled but he was still very sick and had no energy at all, poor little fellow.

We scaled down our plans considerably, and spent our days looking after him and his mom and dad, who were pretty tired, having to get up with him all the time.  By Christmas morning, he was a little better, but not even remotely interested in opening presents.  We finally got him perked up enough to get interested in the big package for him in the living room, and when he opened it, he was delighted to find a retro style play kitchen with all the accessories!  

Well, that changed the whole atmosphere and he dug into the rest of his presents with gusto, ending the day by eating some Christmas dinner with the rest of us and going to bed happily with some of his new toys.  So Christmas wasn't perfect, but it was wonderful!    

What did you do for Christmas this year?

• Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Crisp Cantaloupe 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Island Indigo 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
• Circle card Thinlits Die
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Watercolour Wonder Designer Series Paper *
• Perfect Pennants Stamp Set *
• Spiral Flower Originals Die*

* Products found in the new Occasions Catalogue, available for order Jan. 3, 2014.