Giving thanks

A bright and festive label is such an easy way to turn a plain bottle into a pretty gift, although I had to repunch the circle openings to accomodate the larger bottle top... Give Thanks is from (retired) Holiday Best.

Did I say I love this French Foliage set? It makes is so easy to fill in a beautiful background. (I know, I know, I forgot the beautiful big striped grosgain ribbon in Old Olive...)

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner this year at a new locale, and while our past celebrations have always been fun and meaningful, they also involved an enormous amount of preparation, cooking and clean-up for my sister Judie and me. This year, I made the green beans and a bag full of treats to share, lent a hand in the kitchen, and did a round or two of dishes - and had plenty of time to sit and visit with my loved ones! That was a pleasant change from tradition! A great big thank-you to our hosts Debbie and Harry Smith, and to their son Matt Smith, the fabulous cook!


The more delicate shapes of these leaves were cut with small steel dies; I thought they were from PTI but can't find mention of them. I roughly stamped them with similarly-shaped (retired) Autumn Leaf Prints in Versamark. I diecut a little leaf in the pillowboxes and lined the opening with window sheets. (I cut the leaf on the wrong side; I wished the flap openings were facing the back - oh well, I'll know better next time.)

So here's my sophisticated photo set-up: I put two halves of an artist white sketch pad on top of a basket, lit by two dimming fluorescent fixtures and shoot with my Nikon 4 Coolpix S4000, no flash... And I was too tired to set up a bigger background for the larger tableau, so the shelves of wooden SU stamp sets make up the backdrop... (I would normally crop the background out, if necessary, when I add my watermark - which I forgot to do in these photos! All images are copyrighted by Stampin' Up!)

Not the greatest lighting, but not the worst, and it's a quick set-up - on top of whatever stamps and inks I have scattered about underneath - for a last-minute, late-night photo. Sometimes I forget to turn the flash off and the result is a brash, over-exposed shot, like below.

I totally forgot to photograph the inside, which was rolled with the beautiful jumbo Stampin' Around Bright Blessings in Versamark ink; then I rubbed various shades of pearl powders which adhered to the ink after I buffed away the excess. (Note to self: I should recreate this and post an additional photo.) Hershey's Nuggets were covered in labels stamped in various colors with Give Thanks from It's a Wrap Holidays and tucked inside for a little take-home treat.

Added December 6: I found two unassembled but stamped boxes under my work paper (I knew I had 16 of these to start with!!) Glad I didn't have to remake the whole thing!

I am so thankful for my beautiful family and friends and of having had the opportunity to spend a happy day of sharing and celebration with them.

Here's to sharing our love and gratitude!