Follow Your Dreams... to Delaware! :)

First Place Winner at Rubbernecker

Coffee of the Day - it's tea! Victorian Earl Grey (Earl Grey with roses, lavender, & rosemary)

More big news here at our home - our oldest has moved to the East Coast and now lives in Delaware! these last few weeks have been a whirlwind with him getting a job (working in a lab there), finding an apartment, and then moving. David went with him to find a place, and then I helped with the actual move last week. whew.... now for the wedding in September and to get Danielle a job and moved in. hard to believe that we won't see him again until just days before the wedding. if I think about it too much I will start crying, but then that's the ol' empty nest for ya. all of our sons are now in other states. hard to wrap my head around. and my heart.

but enough of the sappy sad stuff. you are here for crafty stuff. ;) so I will show you the card I made and tucked into one of his packing boxes. it took him a few days to find it, which added to the adventure!

I used this adorable "Moving Day" image from LOTV and some of my precious Basic Grey South Pacific paper. The sentiment is also LOTV and comes from one of their cute Odd Dog sets. (I had purchased the bundle last month when they had a big sale, so I apologize that I don't have the specific set marked.)

all 3 of the dies are from Spellbinders, little banner punch is from SU!, vintage buttons are from my stash, and cardboard was inked with white craft. ticket is also a stash item, and we can't forget the denim belt loop! :)  distressed seam binding snippet was sitting on my craft desk and actually matches better irl than photo shows. little white gel dots across the top of the card finish everything off in a fun way. :)

now to adjust to that dratted ol' empty nest.... this Momma Bird is having a tough time. sigh......

Challenges:
CRAFT - new (home)
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
Creative Knockouts - buttons, buttons
Crafty Gals Corner - buttons
Crafty Addicts - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - only for boys
Rubbernecker - recycle: cardboard, denim belt loop, vintage buttons, old ticket, seam binding scrap
Dream Valley - at least 2 buttons

You Are Amazing - Autism Blog Hop

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

I am back today with another card for the Stamping for Autism Awareness Blog Hop. We are asked to only link one card for the hop, but I am making several to send to our son Ryan, who works with children on the autism spectrum. It's a facility called Hope Bridge, and they have locations in several areas. He is in Indiana, and I want to send him a few cards to share with some of the children he works with.

Today's card uses a cute image by Mo Manning called "Hurricane Harvey." my sons wouldn't just pull out one toy to play with; they had to pull out the entire toy box just like this little guy! :)

the watercolor bg is part of the same paper I created in the card from this post - made using brusho powders on watercolor paper. I used cobalt blue and grey, spraying with pearl glimmer mist to add a bit of sparkle. the stripe paper is from the Authentique Cuddle Boy collection.

sentiment is by Create with TLC and all other elements are from my stash. that fabulous wood bark star is from an online store that is no longer open. so glad I stocked up, because it is so fun! lots of ink distressing and a border of white gel ink dots helps add a cool visual touch.

thanks for stopping by! it sure feels good to be back playing in my craft room again. Palmer and Moon Pie, our dog and cat, are happy to be playing in there with me, too! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
A Perfect Time to Craft - anything goes
ATG with TLC - anything goes with a TLC product
Crafter's Cafe - color: blue, green, and yellow
DL Art - anything goes

A Day Full of Sunshine

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Today I am sharing a card made for a very special blog hop - Stamping For Autism Awareness Blog Hop.  Our youngest son, Ryan, works for a fabulous place called Hope Bridge. it is a therapy center for children on the autism spectrum. He absolutely loves working there. I am making cards to send to him to give to the children there. I hope to get several made this week. hopefully I can get one made for the staff as well to say thank you for all they do! :)

I wanted to use shades of blue on my card because royal blue is the official color for autism awareness. I pulled out my brusho powders, which are a new to me crafting tool. I used cobalt blue and grey on watercolor paper. rather than using just water, I also sprayed the paper with pearl glimmer mist for a nice bit of sparkle. (I do this with my gelatos, too.)

That adorable little puppy is from LOTV. isn't he precious? when visiting blogs over the weekend, I saw several cards with paper cut at an angle and was inspired to try the same. it adds a fun design element!

of course I had to give the card my own little shabby spin, so there is a bit of ink distressing as well as some re-purposed treasures. I added a row of painted white dots across the top. the sun die is by La La Land. sentiment stamp is from SU!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope to have more cards for this wonderful blog hop later in the week. :)
Jennifer

editing to add link for another card made for blog hop:
You Are Amazing


Challenges:
Get Creative - no patterned paper
Dragonfly Journeys - baker's twine

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
House That Stamps Built - anything goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/a critter

Easter is a Time for Sheer Hoppiness!

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Hazelnut

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate this holiday! :) This has always been one of my most favorite holidays. I love spring, even though it doesn't really come to our area for a while yet. We can have snow into May, and it frequently snows on Easter, but the flowers that peak through are so lovely, aren't they?! It is truly a season of new hope.

I have a card to share with all of you today. I have given this to our neighbors who have the most adorable little girls! They shared with us a few days ago that their oldest is learning to read by sounding out the letter "P" for Palmer. :) we all smiled over that one!

I happily discovered that one of my favorite artists, Lee Holland, has an Etsy store for digital images. If you hurry, you might even catch the big sale that she has going on right now. I was one happy camper, let me tell you! ;)  This cute little bunny hopped right into my shopping cart, along with several other fun images!

Papers are from the Authentique Eastertime, flowers & leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts, pretty blue ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and dies are by Spellbinders. sentiment is from Create with TLC.

vintage buttons, doily, lace trim, and yellow twine and ticket are from my stash. all cs edges have been distressed with either ink or a paper distressing tool. you can't see it well in the photo, but I used a wink of stella clear glitter pen to accent the hop pattern.

what DID show up well is a lovely pet hair from either Palmer or Moon Pie.... oh goodness gracious.... I had already given the card to our neighbors by the time I started editing this picture, so I couldn't go back and retake it. ack! the joys of having 2 pets with black fur who love to play in my craft room with me!!!

I hope all of you enjoy your day! thanks so much for "hopping" by! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Sweet Stampin' - bingo: ribbon, button, distress
Deep Ocean - Easter/Spring
Die Cuttin' Divas - Easter (Spellbinders dies)
Lemon Shortbread - anything goes
Papercraft Challenges - Bunnies for Easter
Aud Sentiments - Easter or Spring sentiment
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Brown Sugar - Spring or Easter
Crafty Catz - anything goes w/optional twist of old stash
Polkadoodles - #13 anything goes

Engagement Gift

Coffee of the Day - only drinking green juice right now. out of almond milk, which I need for my coffee. have a cup of Victorian Earl Grey tea brewing, which is a fabulous Earl Grey with lavender, rose hips, and rosemary.

That horrid migraine came back to rear its nasty head, so I've been in bed ever since we came back from Indiana. yuck. :(  But I did want to share with you how I wrapped the engagement gift for Ryan and Elizabeth.

Please excuse any typos.... the headache makes it hard for me to see. having to rely upon my typing skills from way back in the high school days. can't see the monitor very well as it's all a blur.

I had picked up some neat typeprint style wrapping paper at Michael's a while back, thinking it would be great for crafting. since we don't tend to give many wrapped gifts that aren't holiday based, this seemed to work out well for the engagement present.

Elizabeth really enjoys period type television shows such as Downton Abbey and Save the Midwife, so I knew that going with a pretty floral stamp would be perfect. I chose 'Strong and Beautiful' from Unity Stamps to stamp across the paper in various shades of her favorite colors - plum, sage, and lavender.  vintage lace was used for the bow.

I also stamped the flower in plum ink on a tag made from the same cs used in the card for her letter. (see previous post) it was stamped again in sage ink as a shadow effect. a doily portion was adhered in addition to some crochet trim and pretty little Wild Orchid Crafts blossoms & leaf. a cheesecloth bg stamp was used on the tag base and then the SU! ink squirty tool. Zipper Stop seam binding that was distressed was tied at the top and a re-purposed bit of plum twine anchors the tag to the lace bow.

and here is a photo of what was inside. We gave them a Lladro bride and groom figure. Dave and I had one on our wedding cake. I used to collect Lladro pieces. it seemed only fitting to give them one as they begin their happily ever after together. :)

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes w/optional spring theme
Inspiration Destination - #147 anything goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes

It's an Engagement! :)

Top 3 Pick at Creative Craft Cottage

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

So not only are you getting my first craft project in almost a year, but you are also getting the happy news of another happy engagement in our family! :)

I am so excited to announce that Ryan and Elizabeth are engaged!

This weekend we drove to Indiana for a surprise engagement party that Ryan (our youngest son, for those of you who aren't familiar) and Elizabeth's family planned. Mick (our middle son) and his girlfriend, Lauren were able to join us, too!

Ryan asked David and I to each write Elizabeth a letter. Of course I had to make a very special card to present my letter to her.

The little fairy proposal image is so sweet that I just couldn't resist using it. Papers are from the Prima Indeed digital pack, ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, mulberry flowers & leaves are by Wild Orchid Flowers, digital tickets and post cards are from Create With TLC, and little butterfly die is by Cheery Lynn.

vintage buttons, crochet trim, and doily are from my stash. lots of distressing was done with inks and a paper distressing tool. Stampdendous Frantage powders in wine were added to the main image. distress stickles in black soot were added to the butterfly. tiny pearls have been added both inside and out to the corners. the interior vintage button was tied with SU! linen thread.

it's a bit hard to see, but on the inside pocket, I have added a flourish that was die cut from some clear packaging that I re-purposed. the die is by Tim Holtz. it's a subtle, but very pretty element that packs a lot of punch irl.

Thank you for hanging in there and waiting on me to get something made! I hope you think it was worth it. ;)

and congrats to the happy couple!!!!

Challenges:
Southern Girls - die cuts (butterfly & flourish)
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - any project with patterned paper
DL Art - flowers
Inspiration Destination - #146 anything goes w/optional spring/pastel colors
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Mod Squad - ready for spring
Die Cuttin' Divas - flowers
Craft-Dee BowZ - anything goes with a handmade bow
Creative Craft Cottage - make it feminine

Ready and Now to Wait and Wait and Wait.....

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut (hubby had Caramel Apple)

So hip hip hooray, my card is finally finished! but y'all have to wait until Sunday for it to post here on the bloggy blog. sorry about that, but it has to get to the intended first. ;)

So while I wait, I am going to be the little bunny getting ready for Easter, because in the midst of all the nasty headache business, that lovely holiday has snuck up on me! yikes! are YOU ready? do you have your stock of Reese's peanut butter eggs? or do you go for jelly beans?

we are really odd here in our family because we get Peeps and have wars with them in the microwave. yep, it's strange, but so much fun! that's what happens when you have a house full of guys! :) then we make s'mores out of them. and Peep shakes.

Have a most amazing weekend! See you back here on Sunday!
lots of love to you!
Jennifer

Gettin' Crafty Today! Hooray!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (a cup of my all time favorite to get my crafty motor going! I stockpile this stuff when it first comes out in the fall. I don't want to run out during the year. grins!)

So excited to not only be heading into my craft room for the first time in a VERY long time, but to actually be feeling well enough to do it! yippppeeeee!!!!! :)  I have a special card that needs to be made for this weekend, so have to get going on it. goodness, as long as its been since I last made one, it might take me that long to get it done! wowsa!

anyhow, it's snowing like crazy here, as it tends to do all the way through May. I don't mind because I am one of those odd ducks who actually enjoys the snow.  it also helps out the maple syrup season, which our area relies upon.

Y'all have a fabulous day and I'll be back later to show you, FINALLY, something crafty! thank you for your kind and encouraging comments & emails! you make my heart overflow!!!!

love to all of you!
Jennifer

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme, of course! :)

I've been drinking some wonderful Irish teas from the quaint little tea shop up in Ann Arbor, Michigan that we love so dearly. they have an online store and monthly special that we have just become aware of. so happy happy happy to discover this! :) this month's special is all about Irish teas, so of course we ordered some. oh my goodness, are they ever delightful! now if we could only get them to ship their lavender shortbread and macaroons! grins! It's called the Tea Haus if any of you are interested.

I am still battling this terrible migraine. it has been years since I last had one of this magnitude. some days I can't even get myself downstairs to say hello to anyone. I need the dark because any kind of light is just too painful. this one is a doozy.... my high powered migraine medications aren't even touching it. ick. hopefully it goes away soon. this is getting ever so tiresome.

so I do apologize to all of you that I haven't been able to share any craft projects with you. I really want to get to my craft room and create, I really do. hopefully it won't be too much longer.

until then, wishing all of you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!
love to you,
Jennifer

Not Quite Yet...

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Salted Caramel

Sorry that I haven't posted any craft projects yet. a nasty migraine has taken hold, and I am having a tough time with it right now. I take medication daily to deal with these, so it's been a long time since one has knocked me out to this level.

hope to be back in the game again soon. so very sorry to disappoint. just as soon as I think I have it licked, it comes creeping back again. :( yuck.

here's a photo that Danielle sent to me last night of a banner that she made. she and her maid of honor were able to get several made. isn't it so pretty? several of the ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. I think this gives a total of about a dozen that have been made so far. some of them have burlap and denim banner pieces in them with the ribbons and trims. lots of vintage laces are added to them as well.

Coming Soon! It's Almost Time for Crafty Stuff! :)

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel

image from The Old Design Shop

Hello to all of you! Thank you so much for your patience and friendship. :)

It's almost time for some crafty stuff to finally appear here on my blog. The goodies are arriving in the mail and the ideas are flowing like a river. We have been busy working on wedding things, which has caused me to want to get into my craft room and play play play! :) Hoping to get started here in the next few days as the last few items come in the mail. I have big plans and high hopes for projects, so stay tuned! so many pretty toys to use, so I know it will be great fun to see what the end results turn out to be. :)

while we wait, I am listening to one of my all time favorite guitar players today, Stevie Ray Vaughan. here's one of his tunes, "Tick Tock" that he recorded with his brother. enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Coffee of the Day - more tea! :) Citrus Thyme -  a flavor I picked up yesterday when visiting Mick and Lauren in Ann Arbor, Michigan at a wonderful tea shop there that we love.  this is an orange blossom, currant, and thyme blend that is so delightful! just so you know, I did have a wonderful coconut hazelnut latte on our way up there to fulfill my coffee quota for the day! grins!

image from The Graphic Fairy

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! Even if you aren't in a romantic relationship, know that you are surrounded by so many people who love you for the beautiful person that you are!!! You are important, you are necessary, and you have people who count on YOUR smile each and every day. :)

I am not only working on wedding crafts and projects, as I mentioned in a previous post, but am gathering goodies to get back into my craft room again! wooo hooooo! can't wait to get inky and get into those papers & ribbons & buttons!!!! have so many ideas running through my head.....

take care and see you soon! much love to you!
Jennifer

What's Been Going On....

Coffee of the Day - is tea! :) Lemongrass Ginger Basil green blend

Hello! We are busy busy busy over here with the big autumn wedding that seems to be quickly approaching! So much crafting to do to get ready!

Tyler and Danielle are having all aspects of the wedding out at Camp, from the rehearsal dinner all the way through to the brunch the day after, so we are making all kinds of shabby, vintage pretties to decorate and beautify! :)

The house is over-run with vintage treasures we have been picking up at antique stores all across Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as ribbons & fabrics, mason jars, grapevine wreaths, and more kinds of moss than you knew grew in the forest! tee hee!

of course the bride will be the star of the show, as she should be!!! everything else is just setting the stage until she makes her appearance when she comes down the aisle.....

Much love to all of you!
Jennifer

Happy Anniversary, Women's March!

Coffee of the Day - Maple Nut

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of the single largest protest in world history, with over 5 million people participating worldwide. The Women's March brought together people of all races, all socio-economic levels, for so many crucial causes, to let their voices be heard.

I am honored to have been at the march in Washington DC. This weekend marches will once again take place all around our globe, focusing on important issues such as #metoo, #NoBanNoWall, DACA and the clean Dream act, ever important racial equality, gender pay disparity, and LGBT rights, just to name a few.

Sadly I have to work this weekend, so I am unable to march. But I will be wearing my t-shirt from the march last year to show my solidarity with all of my sisters and brothers who are taking to the streets.

I think of all that has happened in this past year, the changes our country has been through. It's been difficult, but we have seen a beautiful voice emerge of courageous souls speaking out and stepping out for the first time. I truly believe that we will collectively come to find that peace and love will prevail. Respect for others and compassion for our fellow neighbors, ALL neighbors, will win out over hate and fear. We will join together hand in hand. One day... Oh yes, one day... :)

Happy New Year!

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

I must begin by apologizing to all of you for being away for so very long. I have had some difficulties with my health these past months.

But, as with all things in life, I am counting my blessings and rejoicing in all that is good & beautiful in this world! :)

May this new year bring  to you all your heart desires! I hope to see more of you and will try to do better with posts...

Happy New Year, dear friends!
Jennifer

Beer Barrel Dwarf Publication

No Coffee today... feeling poorly and having juice instead.

I am finally getting a chance to share the card that was recently published in issue #110 of PaperCrafter magazine. I was so excited when they let me know they wanted to use one of mine in their publication!!! I am still waiting on the issue to arrive here in the States so I can add it to my collection. :)

I made this card for Tyler, our oldest son who graduated last month with a degree in bio-technology. He wanted to go into either the craft beer or winery industry, so I thought it would be fun to use this cutey little dwarf by Mo Manning, one of my ab fab fave artists.

papers are from the Basic Grey Boxer collection, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, ric rack is by Really Reasonable Ribbon, and vintage buttons & twine are from my stash. liquid applique is added to the top of the tankard for beer foam. the beer label is from one of Tyler's favorites to add a bit of a personal touch. ;)

He actually started working for The Winery at Wolf Creek right after graduation and loves it!

Happiest of Birthdays, Pretty Fairy!

Coffee of the Day - actually, today I'm having a yummy tea - Strawberry, Lavender, Mint Green blend from a wonderful tea shoppe in Ann Arbor, Michigan :)

Hello to everyone! yep, once again I have been missing from my blog. all for good reasons, I assure you. I had even picked up a few goodies to do a birthday blog candy, and then didn't even get around to posting. how sad is that?! ;) I'll try to get that up by the weekend though.

I have been to several protests against pipelines and fracking, so traveling all over Ohio. hubby and I are also delivering water and other supplies to Flint, Michigan every Saturday to try to help the situation there. Even Palmer went along on our last trip! Country dog in the big city! :) of course he was a big hit. He celebrates his fist birthday next week.... oh how the time has flown! When not traveling, I am busy working at Camp. yep, life is lots of fun and filled to the brim!!!

So today I am sharing a card I have made for both the progressive monthly challenge in the Simply Betty Facebook group and for a very special young lady we know. :) I hope she enjoys it as much as we enjoy having her in our lives! :)

The challenge is to use at least one decorative paper, the colors red, black, yellow, and cream, and also add glitter.

I used Prima digital papers and elements from the Doodledux collection, added touches with stickles glitter and the wink of stella pen, included flowers from Michael's, Prima, and Wild Orchid Crafts, vintage buttons, and finished the card with glitter ribbon also found at Michael's. the inside is decorated, too, with elements from the same Prima digital paper collection. I added cream acrylic paint to the card edges.

Thank you so much for stopping by! love to all of you!
Jennifer

Graduation Extravaganza!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia

I promised that I would share photos from all of our sons' graduations, so here I am.... grab a cuppa and sit back. :)

it all started with Ryan graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University. he is now working for The Salvation Army in Marion, Indiana as their Assistant Director. :) Pictures show him with his girlfriend, Elizabeth, as well as his dad.

the next week was Mick graduating from Hocking College. he and his girlfriend, Lauren, are moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan in just a few weeks. She will be starting work at a nature center there, and he will be working for Plant Wise Restoration, a company that manages invasive plant species with native plants to the environment.

lastly we have Tyler who graduated from Kent State University. photos show him with his fiance, Danielle, as well as Mick and Dave. Tyler has started working for The Winery at Wolf Creek after obtaining a degree in bio-technology.

yes, I am a VERY proud mom! they are all in jobs doing exactly what they love with wonderful women who both love & support them. (and vice versa!!!) I couldn't ask for more!!! :) life is good indeed!