Happy Holidays

Hello everyone, I hope you had a lovely Christmas!  The Bitten By The Bug 2 design team is on holiday break this week so instead of a project, I am going to bore you with my mediocre family Christmas photos!  Above and below are photos of our tree BEFORE the the paper-apocalypse of gift opening.

Below is John in a semi food coma following dinner.

Bethany was still feeling perky at this point (unlike her husband above) so she paused to pose with her granny!  Bethany is looking VERY pregnant as the baby is due in less than three weeks (YES, I am EXCITED)!

Duncan received the first gift this year - a new blue and magenta adorable dragon.  Duncan loves him!

The passing out of the gifts with John making a move to open a large box first.

Granny selecting her first package to open.

I an reacting to a gift from one of his siblings.

Doug liking his new Apple Mac Book Pro.

The mess - the pile of wrapping paper AFTER being crushed down twice.  Yes that is me sitting on the ottoman enjoying the show.

Before gifts, after dinner, we took time to have our annual crazy cookie decorating event. This was John's first year doing crazy cookies with us and he REALLY enjoyed himself.

Aaron, Crissie, and I are working hard on our cookies!  Doug was the photographer, drink filler, and all around "footman" as he did not want to decorate cookies.  Though in the end he did decorate three cookies.  My favorite was his angle which became a Ninja Turtle.

Ian, Bethany, and John hard at work creating cookie masterpieces!

Crissie and Susan's cookies.

Ian's cookies.

We had a wonderful celebration and hope that all of you enjoyed time with those you care about also.

I will be back with projects to share later this week.

Biltmore Christmas Tree Layout

 (Click on any image to see larger)

Hello friends it is December first, Cyber Monday, the first day on my Advent Calendar, AND Bitten by the Bug 2 day!!  I have a lot going on today so buckle in and let's get started!

My amazing design team sister, Jayne, selected this week's BBTB2 Cricut Challenge.  Sadly, because I am a total bone head sometimes, I tweaked her challenge.  Jayne asked the team (and you) to craft a Christmas card with a Cricut cut Christmas Tree.  Miss "I can read" here spent a few hours creating a two page layout, complete with Christmas Trees, only to discover when I added my photo to the Bitten by the Bug 2 blog that I was supposed to make a card!!  I was too tired after a weekend of Christmas decorating, house cleaning, and finishing my Christmas shopping to start over again at 7:30 pm Sunday night!  So in a most high-handed manner, I tweaked the challenge to include my layout!!  (Sorry Jayne!)

As you already know, Doug and I went to the Candlelight Christmas at Biltmore to celebrate our anniversary the weekend of November 22.  We purchased a 5 x 7 inch photo package after our tour - a photo of us and a photo of the house.  The Christmas Tree challenge (since I missed the word CARD) seemed like the perfect opportunity to get this two photos scrapped and the pages booked!  

I used my Cricut Explore and three cartridges to complete the two page layout.  The cartridges I used are:  Winter Woodland, Family Album, and Holiday Cards 30.  I really liked the Merry Christmas layout on the Family Album cartridge but I wanted to edit the layout a bit.  I deleted one of the two ornaments and one of the strands of lights.  I also deleted the shadow layer of the Merry Christmas phrase.  

I cut the layout page elements twice, after the edits.  I thought the plaid Graphic 45 card stocked looked great as a matting and matched my Christmas colors well.  By using only two of the four ornaments I would have had if I cut all of the elements twice, I made room to include my elegant Christmas Tree cuts.  

The Christmas Trees and the Jingle Bells are both from the Winter Woodland cartridge.  I thought the elegant embellishments worked with the colors and the photos.  I did use two of the strands of Christmas lights from the Family Album layout just to add a touch of fun.

The final element of the card was cut using Cricut's Holiday Card #30.  I took the house and tree cuts as an overlay on the Biltmore House page.   For a final touch of elegance, I trimmed the pages to 11.5 x 11.5 inches and matted the pages onto black card stock.

Keep reading below for three amazing deals.  #1 is for today only, #'s 2 & 3 will continue all month long!

Anniversary Weekend Getaway

Hello friends.  Doug and I are away this weekend celebrating our thirty-third wedding anniversary.  We are visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  We have been to Biltmore twice previously with our family, but this is our first solo trip and our first trip during the Christmas Season. 

I ordered tickets to the Candlelight Christmas Evenings at Biltmore Estate late last summer.  The Estate can be visited during the day throughout the Christmas season, or for a special treat, you may purchase Candlelight Evening tickets. 

I am looking forward to seeing all of the rooms decorated for the Christmas.  I confess that I am itching to decorate my own home, though somewhat LESS dramatically than the Biltmore decorators!  I have been receiving daily updates on decorating and seasonal events at the Estate... building the anticipation.

Did I mention that prior to our eight o'clock evening tour time we have dinner reservations on the estate?  I will have to keep you posted on what all of the details.

The Candlelight Evenings are supposed to include seasonal entertainment throughout the house:  dancers, choirs, and musicians, all to the glow of candlelight.

Did I mention that you can also take sleigh and carriage rides?  You can participate in many outdoor activities during the daytime hours.  Biking, hiking, and horseback riding to name a few.

 Info about Candlelight Christmas Evenings:

November 7, 2014–January 3, 2015

Explore Biltmore House during holiday evenings when candles and fireplaces fill the grand home with a warm glow, accenting delicate ornaments and priceless treasures with metallic shine and sparkle, and music warms the heart. This year, book a Candlelight Christmas Evening at Biltmore to make holiday memories with your family that will last a lifetime.

Your evening admission includes:

• Reserved evening visit to Biltmore House
• Daytime access to Biltmore Gardens and Antler Hill Village & Winery on the same day as your evening visit or the next day
• Free parking

For more information, including ticket prices and other details, click THIS LINK.  Remember you may also make your dining reservations and hotel reservations on the Biltmore website.

 http://www.biltmore.com/visit/plan-your-visit/buy-tickets/candlelight-evenings