it's a christmas ♥FEAST♥!

i find it seriously hard to believe we're already midway through november, but a quick glance at the calendar confirms that not only is (american) thanksgiving a mere week away, but that today marks the start of our very last ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ holiday card prompt for 2012*!!! now i realize it seems odd that we are wrapping up our challenges just when, traditionally, christmas card production is kicking into high gear; but that was sort of the point of this blogging adventure: stephanie and i set out to take december BACK for ourselves and our families by freeing it of the frenzy of last minute mass-production of holiday cards. for the last two years, we've each made a christmas card per week since the beginning of january, and thus we can afford to take december OFF in the challenge blog sense! let me just say that going into the festive month knowing i not only have this very big chore SORTED, but that in fact i've got 48 unique and beautiful cards i enjoyed making in a calm and stress-free environment, is truly the BEST GIFT EVER, i'm so pleased i've made it a priority for the last couple of years, and i heartily encourage everyone to give it a try, i think you'll be hooked, too!!! ♥

in honor of both the upcoming thanksgiving holiday AND the many glorious and delicious seasonal foods, this time we're asking you to create a holiday card which has some sort of FOOD on it... from visions of sugarplums, to cookies and cocoa for santa, roast turkey or goose, plum pudding... well, you get the idea, right? i've always had a bit of a thing about gingerbread houses, i threaten to make one every year, and one of these days i will DO IT! but for now, i've contented myself with loading a bunch of reallllllly cute ones on to a card:

 (patterned paper: imaginisce, ta-da studio, best creation, sei; rub-ons: imaginisce; twine: doodlebug; ink: colorbox; corner rounder: ek success; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

i honestly cannot remember the last time i made an A2 card, so clearly it's been far too long! they are adorable though, and seemed utterly perfect for the small size of the gingerbread house rub-ons i wanted to use as the centerpiece of the card, as soon as i realized they'd work PERFECTLY with kimber mcgray's 11-10 saturday card sketch at two peas:

and yes, technically, i've already made a card for this sketch, but i b'lieve i warned you that i was going to be "revisiting" this one at least a few more times. even i didn't think it would be quiiiiiite as soon as this, but when the perfect pairing presents itself, only a foolish crafter walks away in a huff, right?! of course i am linking up at 52-card-pick-up, as well, because afterall, it IS friday, isn't it?!

i hope you will come along to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ and link up with us for our last official prompt of the year, we're longing to see what tasty cards you'll cook up!

*yes, indeedy, we WILL be back in 2013 with more bi-weekly card-making hijinks; why not plan to join us on january 1st as we kick off the new year in a RESOLUTIONARY way!!! ♥♥♥