HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Always a day late, aren't I? :)

Whooo hoooo!  A new year begins and fun new things to do.  I work in a job where people feel the need (I really don't know why) to give me and my employee Christmas gifts.  So, each year I make a bunch of Thank You cards to send to them.  Most of the gifts are chocolate.  bummer, huh??  These are what I came up with this year.  I really had trouble with these, but they turned out ok.  I wonder if its just the fact that I really haven't touched my toys much this last month. 

 So this one has (gasp) stuff that isn't Stampin Up!  I KNOW, I KNOW!  What was I thinking??  Well, this is my story and I'm stickin to it...  I have been with SU! for just a little over a year.  I have a few things (cough, cough) that I bought before I discovered how much fun SU!s stuff is.  So, each year I try to use up some of it for personal stuff.  I just can't bring myself to throw it away, even though it really is kinda inferior. :)  The background stamp is from a 2012 SAB set that you will be able to get for FREE starting Jan 24th.  It's called Fresh Vintage and I LOVE it.  Yea, I know.  I love it all, but this one is really pretty. 

This one is the second one.  Same basic design, just a few changes.  I honestly get bored if I have to make the same thing too many times.  Just a few changes, makes it less boring.  The only Non SU! item is the card base.  Don't ask me where I got it, I have no idea.  The first layer is retired paper called Razzleberry Lemonade that I got off the clearance rack a while back.  It was before my time.  Hahaha!  Speaking of clearance rack, there are a LOT of goodies on the rack right now.  Quite a few punches that are the old style, but are still current.  Guess what I spent my Christmas money on.... Yup!                                            

During December when I'm sitting in my chair trying to survive the Christmas rush, I spend a LOT of time online looking at blogs.  I have discovered MANY fun sites.  I'm sure they were there before I 'discovered' them, but bare( bear?) with me here for a minute.  One I found is a Snippet Challenge.  You gotta check it out.  A challenge to use up your bits and pieces, so these two cards are now going to be part of the challenge.  I got to use a LOT of bits and pieces on the parts with thanks on them and the Postage Stamp punch made short work of some other pieces.  Whooo hoooo!!  Only a few thousand more of this type of stuff and I am good to go.  Thanks for looking and make sure you head over to Pixie's crafty workshop and see some of her really cool stuff!