My family :)

I know, January is almost over, but with all the traveling and uprooting during the holiday, I didn't get a chance to sit down and upload my pictures, so merry Christmas from my family to yours. We made the long journey to the Black Hills to spend New Year's weekend with her to celebrate Christmas.

Once we arrive, we basically break in to games, games and more games. A favorite is UNO, but we played everything from Sequence to Funglish. Well, we did break from games to open presents, which is an event all by its self. That being said, I got some pretty awesome crafting/art additions, including, but not limited to, a doodle book, a purple blanket, tons of notecards, a clickable erase and a wax seal kit. That means I have many more craftventures to post in the future. . . .

The team huddles up and gets ready to play Texas Tech.

During winter break and our travels back west, we got to attend a KU game before boarding our flight back to Virginia. My parents and Jay joined Cole and I in Lawrence for the momentous occasion. Cole and Jay maybe didn't have the same feelings. . . .

An All Gold Everything framed calligraphy to go along with my gold-themed exchange gift.

Happy New Year's eve! It's been a great 2014, and I think a definite highlight is my new calligraphy hobby. So, I decided to end the year on a golden note by featuring my All Gold Everything exchange gift.

This year we had two gifts at the gift exchange, one for food and one for anything good. I decided to go with a stationery/office supply/calligraphy gift. I found a fun black and gold frame and that jump started a package of black, white and gold supplies. It included everything from large, shiny gold paper clips to read-to-send notes. I scoured most of Charlottesville in search of supplies that matched my color scheme. And then, on top of that, I burned many Michaels coupons so I could stuff my little bag. It was like a fun scavenger hunt while Cole was studying for finals. . . .

For Christmas, make cute little paper bows for your packages.

I mentioned a few posts back that I would provide a DIY paper bow tutorial, and here it is. These cute little bows look complicated, but with a little glue, some pieces of paper and a few steps, you can make your own bow. These bows are great for a handmade look or for when you need a single, cheap bow. You could use any paper, Christmas (like shown) or party balloons for a birthday. . . .

Merry Christmas from Cole & Brenna!

Can you believe it? Only seven day until Christmas. Personally, we are ready for this wonderful holiday: gifts bought, crafts complete, plane tickets purchased and Christmas cards sent. And let me share the last one with you.

I enjoy creating a custom card for us, and this year I put my new calligraphy and hand lettering skills to use. I posted my "Joy, Peace & Happiness" background at the start of the month, and that was a glimpse at our Christmas card. It started with a brainstorming session. Then, I moved on to the actual sketching process. I used some grid paper, a pencil and my giant eraser to do the job. I am not too speedy at sketching things, but eventually, I drew letters that I was pleased with. They "Joy, Peace & Happiness" letters are a mix of lettering, swirls and calligraphy. My holly berries and leaves are, well, pretty simple because when it comes to drawing, simple is my skill set. . . .