A More "Mallow" Elf: Days 12 & 13

Hi Friends! I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas, with lots of good food and family time! With a bit of uncertainty about the extended family Christmas plans, I was stressed for awhile, but once that was straightened out, everything was perfect. I enjoyed cooking the holiday dinner, that we all enjoyed eating, there was no last minute shopping or wrapping to do, so we had time to sit down together and watch all the fun Christmas specials, and after asking Santa for a Barbie Dream House for the past three years, Santa finally came through for my DD, so it was her "Best Christmas Ever"! Couldn't ask for more.

But, it's time to recoup now. I can't believe it's been an entire week since I posted anything, but Christmas wiped me out for a few days, and with my DD out of school until the 7th of January, I've gotten a little bit lazy. Twice now, my DD and I have lounged around in our pj's the entire day! See...that's lazy. ;)

I'm easing back into a regular routine with photos of our Elf's final days with us, before he went back to the North Pole with Santa. (I'll get back to making and posting cards soon, I promise.)

DAY 13:

After almost two weeks of pranks, Jackson seemed a little more mellow...or should I say "mallow."

My DD found him in her bathtub, in one of my loaf pan, taking a marshmallow bath. (BTW, that Maze book Jackson left my DD IS the World's Most Challenging Puzzle!) He had taken my DD's new Marty wig (from the movie Madagascar 3), and appeared to be using it as a shower cap. Looks pretty crazy on him, doesn't it? Well...

not as crazy as it does on my DD! She loves that thing!!! One of her friends gave her the Madagascar 3 movie and this wig, and every time she has watched the movie, which she LOVES, she runs and gets the wig when Marty is doing his Afro Circus dance so she can dance along with him. :D

DAY 14-Christmas Eve:

The marshmallow bath made sense when we found Jackson today.

Seems he and Barbie had a drive-in movie date planned--popcorn included.

That sly dog! ;)

My DD was ecstatic! Her theory was that if Jackson was in love with Barbie, he might decide to stay at our house this year instead of going back with Santa. She really loves having Jackson around.

The next morning, however, Jackson was gone, having hitched a ride with Santa the night before, but he left my DD a nice goodbye note. In it, she was a little disappointed to find out that the date was just for pretend, as he and Barbie are just good friends. Seems elves can't date until they are 125 years old, and Jackson is only 87 (in elf years he is only a young teenager). But, he did say he would be back again next year, so my DD is writing to him every day in a journal he left her, so that when he returns, he'll know everything she did between now and then, and he'll also know how much she misses him. :'-) I'll bet Barbie will miss him, too.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back to posting cards soon. In the meantime, I really appreciate all the comments you've been leaving on my blog. They always make me smile!

~Hugs,

 

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A Couple of Bowls and an Elf: Days 11 & 12

Hi Friends! If you're like me, you are crazy busy getting ready for family celebrations, so I won't take up much of your time. This will be a short post.

Only a couple more days until Jackson the Elf returns to the North Pole for another year, but he's still busy around here.  The past two days, he's had a thing for bowls. ;)

DAY 10:

Jackson took time out for some R&R today--did a little communing with nature.

He and Santa went Goldfishing. And, look, he caught one! That was one well-stocked bowl...uh, lake, even after my daughter ate a handful of the fish, herself!

DAY 11:

And, speaking of nature, when it calls, one must answer...

My DD thought Jackson had cleaned the toilet and left the cleaner in the toilet bowl until I pointed out three things: our toilet bowl cleaner is blue, not green, he was sitting in an "I gotta go NOW" position, and he had brought a magazine into the bathroom. Then, she realized that...OMGosh...ELVES PEE GREEN..."YUK!" She was disappointed in Jackson for not flushing, but at least he put the toilet seat back down!  :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

~Hugs,

 

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Snoozin' and Cruisin' Elf: Day 9 & 10

Hi Friends! We're still waking up to Elf shenanigans every morning!

DAY 9:

Jackson has been a busy little Elf. And, who knew...he's a photo hound, too!

This was the scene on our hearth this morning.

Jackson's brought another furry friend--it's Rosa, from the Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 movie. He brought the movie, too! Jackson looks plumb tuckered out, doesn't he? 

This is the photo that is in the pink frame. Looks like Jackson is a dog lover, just like my DD. She was thrilled to finally have a photo of Jackson, especially with her best buddy, Ozzy!

But, who took the photo?

Kit is one of my DD's dolls. She's a young reporter, and knows her way around a camera--even MY digital camera!!! When we checked to see if the photo was really in the camera, it was...along with over 100 other photos of Jackson, with our dog, Ozzy! No wonder Ozzy looks so pooped in the picture, and Jackson ended up sleeping in all day! Here's a couple of the other pics.

Looks like they started out fairly peppy.

But, Ozzy seems to have gotten tired quickly. Unlike Jackson, he's never been much for having his picture taken.

My DD took this picture at the end of the day. Yep, that's the same dog. Poor little Ozzy had to go through the trauma of getting groomed today. My DD let him snuggle with Rosa for awhile. Rosa looks thrilled, but Ozzy was exhausted. Who wouldn't be, after a late-night photo shoot with Jackson, then that scary lady with the bubble bath and scissors!

DAY 10:

Last night, I heard a "thump" in my DD's room and went in to investigate. My daughter woke up and saw me walking out of her room. I told her about the thump, and she informed me that she was sure it was just Jackson. Then, this morning, she woke us up, worried because she couldn't find Jackson anywhere, AND her new balloon was gone from her room! It took half an hour, but she finally found him in the stairwell leading to the basement. After all that rest, I guess Jackson was ready for some fun and games.

Jackson took one of my DD's crocs for a slide down the banister, and brought a new game with him.

What fun! A Lego game!!! Lego's are one of my DD's all-time favorite toys.

I sure am glad I didn't catch Jackson in my DD's room last night while he was in there sneaking around getting that shoe and the balloon. ;) I think I'd freak out if I actually ran into a live Elf in our house! He better be more careful or he's gonna get caught, yet! ;D

From snoozin' to cruisin'! Who knows what we'll wake up to tomorrow morning!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a picture-perfect day!!! :)

~Hugs,

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More Elf Antics: Day 7 & 8

If you are here for my Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge post, click here.

Good Morning! Elf Jackson has been at it again!

DAY 7:

Jackson showed his compassionate side today.

He brought food and warmth for my DD.

A nice, warm sweatshirt. (I think he needs to work on his spelling a little bit.) ;)

And, a big, hearty lunch.

On closer inspection, however, not a very appetizing lunch--tomato paste, evaporated milk, popcorn salt, coffee creamers, a cinnamon stick, a box of Jello mix, an old, raw potato, and a bag of dog food! Really, Jackson???

DAY 8:

The Candy Cane Garden grew! It really grew!

Jackson harvested a few Christmas trees early.

We only expected candy canes. Now we know why there were Christmas Tree seeds, too!

Looks like Jackson couldn't wait to try one of those cookies. They ARE yummy!

Can't wait to see what Jackson will do tonight!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a Sweet Day!

~Hugs,

 

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TMS #177: Merry Christmas to Ewe

Hi Friends! Well, it's exactly one week until Christmas, and I still haven't mailed my Christmas cards! I have got to get on the stick!!! At least all my shopping, wrapping, and decorating is finished. :) How are you doing with your holiday preparations?

It's time for another Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge, and this week's sketch is an easy one, so jump in with us for a chance at a prize from our fab sponsor, Bugaboo Digital Stamps. They generously provided images for the team this week, and I think you'll love all of the ones we chose.

Isn't this little guy adorable? Having been an obsessed knitter for many, many years, I still have a soft spot in my heart for all things wooly. I needed the image printed on white cs, since I wanted to color it with Copics, but I wanted a colored background, so I layered the image on top of a digital paper in my photo editing program (I use Paint Shop Pro X2). The edges of all the layers are sponged with Distress Ink. See those little glittery gems behind the sheep? Those are Clear Mini Round Gems from Michael's. After I glued them to the card, I covered them with red Stickles. I wasn't sure how well it would stick, but it ended up turning out great. Even up close you can't tell that they weren't manufactured like this.

I used my Snow Marker to give some texture to his fleece.

Check out his ears! The Snow Marker worked like a charm on them. They even feel a bit like fleece.

Sparkly Fluff was perfect for the trim on his hat.

The eyes have Glossy Accents on them.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is part of the image from Bugaboo, but instead of printing it directly onto cs, I used my trusty transparency sheet and made my own rub-on. The sentiment comes in black, but it's easy to change the color in Word to anything you want it to be. The little ornament and Christmas tree are stamps from the Hero Arts Holiday Sayings Christmas set.

See, this is a simple sketch that won't take you any time to whip into something fab. So, why don't you hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge blog, check out the rest of the DT's wonderful creations, then show us what you can do by linking up your own take on the sketch. 

If I get busy, maybe I'll be able to get my cards addressed today and have them in the mail tomorrow, so at least they'll get where they are supposed to go before Christmas Eve!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Merry Week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Merry Christmas to Ewe (Bugaboo Digital Stamps); Holiday Sayings Christmas CL343 (Hero Arts)
Paper: Traveler (My Mind's Eye); Christmas Damask Paper Pack Digi (Print Candee)
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; White Gel Pen
Dies: A2 Matting Basics A; Labels 4
Accessories: Mini Round Gems; Stickles; Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Glossy Accents; Snow Marker (Marvy)
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Elf Jackson is Here!

Hi Friends! Do you have a visitor from the North Pole during the month of December? We do, and his name is Jackson. He's a sweet little Elf, but he sure can be mischievous  But, then, that's what makes him so FUN! Jackson usually arrives about two weeks before Christmas. He's been here 6 days so far, and my 8 year old daughter is having a blast with all his antics, so I thought I'd share them with you, too. After today, I'll try to post his escapades at least every other day.

DAY 1:

Every year, when Jackson arrives, he writes a letter to my DD, bringing her up-to-date on his past year, giving her any messages from Santa, and letting her know if she needs to do anything while he is here. This year, he cut his letter short because he saw a group approaching him. He wrote that he thought it was a welcoming committee, and he hoped they would have some hot chocolate for him, as he was tired from his long trip from the North Pole. Well, that's not exactly what happened...

Jackson was captured and tied up by the Protectors of the Play Room! There's his letter for my DD, nicely rolled up at his feet, along with a gift. Poor Jackson!

This is the proclamation from the Protectors. (All references to my DD's name have been obscured)

DAY 2:

My DD always gets up extra early when her Elf is visiting. Here is the scene she found in our library on this morning.

Guess they worked everything out, since Jackson was reading the Elf on the Shelf book to every single stuffed animal my DD owns, as well as the dolls from the previous day.

He also brought a new friend, Dandy Lion. He was a gift for my DD, but I have to wonder...was he also for personal protection???

This was the Release Proclamation that one of the Ponies was holding.

I wondered what Jackson's view was, so I took this photo from behind him. Wow! What an audience!

DAY 3:

My DD had a rough evening the night before, with some difficult homework. Her behavior could definitely have been better. I guess Jackson noticed.

He wrote, "Don't make me blue :(" on the box. He also dyed her milk blue. We think that might have been from blueberries, but we aren't sure.

Can you see the words just underneath the Elf? "Be Good."

DAY 4:

Jackson brought my daughter some Extreme Dot-to-Dot and Extreme Coloring books (she is a puzzle fanatic). 

He did the first dot-to-dot himself, but fell asleep before finishing the second one. I don't blame him. I think it had about 1,000 dots!

This is the face of one excited kid! Jackson repaired the cereal box during the night! He didn't remove the writing, though. He even left the "Be Good" words on the inside of the box!

DAY 5:

My DD did have a stocking hanging on the mantle...until today! See it down there on the hearth? Sweet little Jackson replaced it with a couple of pair of undies! Underwear pranks are some of my DD's favorites.

From the looks of things, Jackson was attempting to hang a lot more than two pair!

He also left a little gift--a charm necklace with a Cinderella Coach and Tinkerbell charms.

Looks like my DD is set for underwear for awhile! Thanks, Jackson!

DAY 6:

Jackson obviously doesn't know that no one in this family has a green thumb! He brought the ingredients for a Candy Cane Garden. Come to think of it, maybe that will require a red and white thumb. We may be okay, there.

Good thing that dirt is Magical Dirt. That's the only way any kind of garden in this house will grow! ;)

Pouring in the Magical Dirt.

Mixing in the Fertilizer.

Candy Cane and Christmas Tree Seeds.

Planting the Seeds.

Hmmm, this garden requires good behavior in order to grow. Very interesting! Can't wait to see what comes up in a couple of days. :D

And, that brings us up to today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. But, if you want to know, keep checking back. I'll post updates right up until Christmas. Jackson always goes back to the North Pole with Santa when the Big Guy in Red comes to deliver Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, but up until then, he stays busy with something new every day.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are having a Magical Christmas Season at your house, too!

~Hugs,

 

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