Figgy Fruitcake Chocolate Snowflake

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog Latte

I apologize for being so long in posting. I've still been having some health problems and am trying to get it all sorted it out. No fun whatsoever, and hopefully this next round of specialists and such will find the answers.

This is another of the cards I entered in Sue Daly's card contest. What fun to actually have a vintage category to make cards for! I used Basic Grey Figgy Pudding and Fruitcake papers and Joyeux Noel stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms. The flower is from Prima and the laces and buttons are vintage finds from Etsy.

Hopefully I won't be so long in posting again. Please take care and hope all of you are doing well!

Jennifer

Vintage Winter is Calling

Just a quick post today. Sorry to have been out of communication for so long. This was one of my submissions for Sue Daly's card contest on her blog. I really like the way this one turned out. All the vintage pieces came together so well - from the paper flowers and book page to the buttons and laces! lots of shimmerz was painted over the main image as well as the cream button. I try to leave some of the vintage thread in wherever possible, which is the case with the navy button in the upper left corner under the paper flowers. This is one of my fave Stampin' Up! sets by far! Have a great day! :)

A Shimmerz Sale!

What could be better than Shimmerz Paints? Finding them on sale of course! For a limited time, the wonderful Shimmerz paints that I use all the time are on sale on their newly created online shopping page! Run, don't walk, to check it out!

Thanksgiving Thankful Cross

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! I hope that today finds you happy, healthy, and enjoying the many ways in which you find yourself blessed! May your day be filled with joy and laughter!

Today's card is another one for a SHINE challenge over at Paper Craft Planet. The 2nd challenge was to create a project showcasing something for which you are thankful. My middle son, Mick, and I had spent Wed. together listening to CD's and talking about music. So as I contemplated this challenge, the lyrics for many of my favorite songs were running through my mind. Immediately I knew that I wanted to use this portion of "The Wonderful Cross" for my card. I have several cross stamps, but decided to step out of my comfort zone, which is something that in 'real life' God asks me to do quite often. So I used some colors that I would rarely pick up in my every day stamping. This card has a different look than mine usually do, and I struggled with it quite a bit. At one point I actually went into the kitchen and prayed, "God, this card is supposed to be for You. But it is ending up being one of my worst ones yet. Show me how to bring some kind of glory to you." And then the pieces started coming together.

So precious Father, this one is for You. Thank you for your grace, that I never deserve, but you pour out new for me every single day of my life. You bless me abundantly with these beautiful people I am blessed to call family. Thank you for loving me even when I am unlovable and for surrounding me with people who love me as you do that I call friends. Amen. :)

SHINE Personality Challenge Card - Angel Faith

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

I am a member of the Christian stampers group, SHINE, over at Paper Crafts Planet. The first challenge was to make a card that reflects your personality with an emphasis on how your faith in Jesus has shaped who you are today. This verse has brought me great comfort during difficult times. I don't think it shows well in the scan, so I will post it here.

'These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.' 1Peter 1:7

I of course used Basic Grey papers, Periphery collection, vintage laces and button, my fave American Art stamps, Adriana Cirstea angel with palm. and finished off with a beautiful prima flower and rhinestones. Shimmerz paints were used here and there (thanks Lindsey, for the tip to paint the edges!) and I brought back out my SU! Linen bg stamp again. The rhinestones are a bit much, but the card was kinda empty without them, and sometimes I'm pretty over the top! (just ask hubby and sons!!!)

House Mouse Challenge Polka Dots and Snowflakes!

Wowzers - 2 challenges in 1 day! this chickie is on a roll! This is really a VERY GOOD THING since I spent several days not stamping. I'm finally starting to not hurt so much - PRAISE GOD!!! Truly I say! there is nothin' fun about hurting bones! I'm still staying either up or down and avoiding the stairs as much as possible, but man oh man, your prayers and well wishes have PAID OFF BIG TIME!!!!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! I have so many pulication deadlines and challenges to catch up on, not to mention holiday projects, so it feels great to feel great! :D

This card is my entry for the House Mouse Monday Challenge to use polka dots in your submission. Is that just not the best challenge?! This is another one of those cutie pie images that Dru gifted to me. The image is small, so the overall card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" square. I pulled out my ol' time fave Linen bg stamp by SU! Oh how I miss using that puppy! I stamped it not only on the main cs, but also on the inside and the red matting cs. I used to use bg stamps all the time, but got out of the habit. Need to start using them again as they are sooooo versatile. The ornament is covered in crystal effects and I painted shimmerz over the polka dots and white portions of the decorative papers. Now you need to sit yourself down for this. I did not use Basic Grey papers on this card. nope. not a one. These pretty papers are by Daisy D's. But aren't they GORGEOUS?! Thought I would throw all of you for a loop today!! :) Have a good one!!!

Stamper's Dream Challenge - Thanksgiving window card

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

Stamper's Dream has a challenge over on the blog to create a Fall card using a window of some sort. Join the challenge, but hurry because the contest ends tomorrow! I'm sorry for posting this late, but I just found about it late last night. Sorry about that! If you upload a card to your SCS gallery, use the code SDDC2 so Michelle can find it. Also as a wonderful side note, she has terrific sale going on at Stamper's Dream until Nov. 30 - 15% off all Holiday stamps and 50% off selected Just Rite products. nope, don't work for her and don't get kick-backs (grins!!) just happen to think she's pretty wonderful and runs a great store!

So I got to stamping today with my lovely stick chicks from American Art Stamps. I had asked last week 'what is your favorite stamp company?'. Several of you responded with some great companies. If I had to choose just one, (and thank goodness I don't!!) it would definitely be this company. I love these stick chicks and the angels by Adriana Cirstea. I could probably be happy to stamp with them forever. But I digress........ (hubby, be quiet, yes I know I do that a LOT!!)

on to the card..... I used this cute "Turkey Dinner" stamp because I wanted to make a Thanksgiving card for the new neighbors moving in next door this week. The sentiment is actually stamped on the interior of the card. Decorative papers are Basic Grey Mellow. All ribbons are May Arts. The leaf in the lower left corner is a felt one with cut-outs that don't show well in the scan for some reason. There are matching felt flowers on the inside of the card. Everyone stay warm today! We have white-out conditions here! So coooooooool - in more ways than one! ;)

Quick Ali Update ~

Just a quick update on Ali Schmidlin as posted by Tosh on Split Coast Stampers very early this morning ~

Quick update...The Schmidlin's are on their way home. The swelling is what they call rebound swelling which is caused when the blood (from when the tumor was bleeding) dissipates and begins to be absorbed by the brain. As the blood reaches the outer membrane, it gets closer to the nerve endings which in turn causes the severe headaches. They're still not sure what type of tumor they're dealing with and plan to biopsy it in Jan. Right now the headaches are under control, but there is always a chance that could change. Unfortunately Ali still has problems with nausea because of the location of the tumor, but they have medicine that will hopefully keep that relatively under control. They also discovered that the tumor is in the frontal lobe and not in the parietal lobe which they originally thought. From what I understand, it will be easier to biopsy because of this.

SCS Blogger Challenge - Holiday Sparkles Stick Chick & Blog Candy Winner!

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Cream
Tea of the Evening - Orange Ginger Mint by The Republic of Tea
(it was cold and rainy tonight and a cuppa tea hit the spot!)

Here is my entry for the Split Coast Stampers Blogger Group 2 Sketch Challenge. Danielle drew up this amazing sketch last week (we have 2 weeks to complete each challenge). and wouldn't you know it - my stampin' mojo just up and disappeared today! I had the best intentions in my wonky head, but man oh man, it didn't transfer to my card AT ALL!!! so sorry, Charlie! I'll try again later if I can get the time because her sketch really is cool.

My papers are from the phenom Basic Grey Wassail collection. Ribbons are May Arts and Stampin' Up! Way cool stamp is American Art Stamps stick chick "Big Ornament". The ornament is covered in crystal effects and the boot tops, dress ruffles, hat pom pom, ornament top, and boot jingle bells are all painted in shimmerz. Poinsettia dew drops are placed in the center of SU! felt snowflakes.

Our Blog Candy Winner for this time is Tiffany! Way to go! In case you wonder how I go about picking a winner - everyone is assigned a number and I ask my middle son to pick a number. (he is totally clueless as to why he is doing this by the way! grins!!!) he has done this twice now and has no idea that he has helped 2 lucky people win some great prizes! well, what do you expect from a teenage boy who has a certain girl and computer games on his mind?!!

Everyone stay warm and dry!

Prayers please for the Schmidlin Family

I haven't updated in a while about the health issues facing young Ali Schmidlin. You can go to this post at SplitCoast Stampers to read the latest in addition to the well wishes of the community there. Just to summarize, Ali (12 years old) had been sent home from the hospital in Seattle until January to see if the swelling in the growth in her brain could subside to the point that the doctors could then do a biopsy to determine if it was cancerous. She was airlifted back to Seattle 3 days ago because the headaches were so severe and the swelling had intensified. Her mother, Laurie, is a most talented stamper and has the blog, Just Give Me Stamps.

Please, please say prayers for this family if you would. Not only is this a terrible thing for any family to have to go through, but Thanksgiving is approaching, and I'm sure they never invisioned spending it in the hospital with a child in this stage of illness. And then stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for each and every one of your family members. Too often we take them for granted. At least I do. Thank you! I love you each so much! :)

Patriotic Snowflake Elvis

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Cream

Happy Sunday to all of you! It is a most beautiful day here in northeast Ohio! The sun is shining on the beautiful snow - looks like a picture postcard! I look out my upstairs back window and expect to see a few deer walking along creating their fresh hoofprints in the snow behind our barn. We live right in the village, but have a big 2 level barn/garage behind the house. From there is another half acre of property and wildlife frequently scamper across. It isn't unusual to see deer passing through. Truly a breath-taking sight! one of those little 'thank you, God, I really needed that today' moments!!!!

I'm sharing another of my Elvis Christmas cards today. I love the colors of this one. I had posted it over on the Cornish Heritage Farms gallery and someone commented about the patriotic colors. I hadn't thought about that when I made it, but I like it! I'm proud to be patriotic and I am pretty sure Elvis was, too. I am in LOVE with this vintage lace I found on Etsy. so much so that I went back to the seller and begged her to try to find some more (which she did so very kindly!!) and I bought it all! you'll even find it on my blog header! I'm such a sucker for those vintage laces and buttons! they add so much. plus vintage papers, too! I first painted the paper with butter cream shimmerz before stamping, so this baby SHINES!!!!! the Flair Designs paper is also painted in the shimmerz. I sponged the SU! ribbon with caramel ink to distress it, adding to the overall vintage feel of the card. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Bananas! It must be Elvis!

Some of you know that my husband David is the Director of Youth Ministries for our Church District. He returned on Wednesday from a big Youth Pastors Retreat that he hosted in New York. Well, one of the many things that he brought back home from this wonderful excursion was bananas! yep, you read that correctly, bananas! He prepares the food for the retreat and there just happened to be an abundance of fruit left, so he brought some home for us. Now some of us here in the house happen to have a real thing about peanut butter and banana sandwiches. oh yeah, baby....... nothing says lovin' like a big thick gooey sandwich oozing over with yummy-licious nanners and nutter butters! so we have been in hog heaven here at home!

so in honor of these time tested goodies, I am posting one of my Christmas Elvis cards. Trivia time for those of you who don't know that Elvis LOVED peanut butter and banana sandwiches! yep, I'm also a big Elvis fan! :) These stamps come from the ever rockin' Cornish Heritage Farms, the only company officially licensed to create and sell Elvis rubber stamps. The vintage buttons and lace are from Etsy. The entire image is sponged with gold ink to give it a shimmer and shine. Papers are from Basic Grey Stella Ruby. Hope that you enjoy! Thank you, thank you very much..........

Don't forget the blog candy!!!

I'll be back to post a card creation in just a little bit, but don't forget that today is the LAST DAY to enter for the blog candy giveaway! you can post either here or on this post. If you post here, tell me what your favorite stamp company is. I know that we all use many different stamps, but is there one that stands heads above the rest for you? Or some set of images that bring a smile to your face every single time?

be back to chat with ya later! :)

House Mouse Challenge Candy Cane Dreams

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Cream

Here is my House Mouse Monday Challenge card, quite a bit later than Monday obviously! ;) The image is Candy Cane Dreams and comes courtesy of Dru - my new blogging friend who gifted me with some wonderful images the other day! Thank you so much, Dru! I love them all! I combined the image with some fun Basic Grey Wassail paper. I 'duded up' some of the stockings by adding either polka dots (with a gel pen) or stars (with a cutie pie punch from Michaels). I don't have any plain Jane stockings at my house and don't think mousie Amanda does either! grins! The great fuzzy ribbon is May Arts and comes from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. Sentiment, oval punch, snowflakes, & cardstock are from Stampin' Up! The card is a large 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" due to the image size.

Several of you have asked me how I color my House Mouse images. I typically use inks and a blender pen. I use several different shades of ink and blend them with the pen. For instance I will use (SU!) close to cocoa, chocolate chip, and creamy caramel and then blend those browns together to create a brown mouse or critter. I use sahara sand, basic grey and going grey for the grey critters. I hope that helps you some! Any more questions, just ask!

Stick Chick Birthday and Snow Slushies!

Coffee of the Day - Starbucks Cafe Verona with Cinnamon Spice

This is the last of the World Card Making Day cards. It features my fave stick chick by American Art Stamps. These stamps are just so much fun to play with! Not only are there stamps for every holiday and season, but the stamps themselves are top notch, high quality. Papers here are Basic Grey Cupcake. Sentiment, card stock, and ribbon are from Stampin' Up! Buttons came from a great find at Etsy.

We've started up one of our fave winter traditions again - snow slushies! Living here in the heart of the snow belt, we get well over 100" of snow each winter. So when it starts getting thick, the boys and I get our cups and go collect good, clean snow. Pack it tight, then fill with your favorite juice. Voila! a snow slushie! Sometimes we combine several juices to create a delicious treat - cranberry and orange juice is one of my favorites. These are sooooooooo good! Try one for yourself! :)

Christmas Card Contest - Go vote now! :)

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

Sue Daly has a Christmas card contest going on over on her blog, StampinDaly. You can vote in 4 different categories for your favorite cards. yes, I did enter, but I'm not allowed to tell you which cards are mine. ;) EVERY card is wonderful. Aren't we blessed to be surrounded by such talented stampers who provide so much inspiration each and every day?! I know I feel honored to call so many of you my friends! Thank you for all the creativity that you share with everyone!

so go vote for your favorites now!
I'll be back later to share some of my latest stamping projects. I've taken a bit of a break these past few days as I'm still having a tough time getting over my fall from a few weeks ago. blech!!! and double blech!!!! and don't forget to enter my blog candy contest! :)

House Mouse Sketch Challenge - Slow Down Bunny!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Howdy! I hope that you are having a great weekend so far! Here is a card that I made for a House Mouse Sketch Challenge over on Paper Craft Planet. It came together pretty quick because I had already colored the image! Guess where the papers are from? BASIC GREY!!!! Grins! Bet you would have never guessed that one! ;) The bubbles are covered in stickles to make them sparkle! Hope you like this precious little bunny! I thought that this sentiment from Stamping Bella suited perfectly!

Last night Ryan, my youngest, put in the musical, Godspell. I think it is probably one of my ab fab faves EVAH!!! Ryan & I were singing along! We watch movies all the time, but musicals hold a special place for all of us. Also check out Across the Universe or Jesus Christ Superstar - both wonderful movies!

So - what is your favorite musical? or movie? I want to get to know all of you, too! :)

another wonderful blog award!

I am so blessed! I just received this blog award from Gina of Makings and Musings. Isn't it beautiful?!

I am to pass it along to 5 people who's blogs I enjoy reading. Like Gina, there are a LOT more than 5 that I enjoy!!! ;) Please check out the wonderful pages of these fun blogs!

*Julie of Special Craft Mom of 4

*Carmen of QueenTomas

*Danielle of Danielle's Divine Designs

*Paula of Crop Notes and Crafts

*Edith of Today: From My Perspective

Melda Bella Challenge Card & Blog Candy

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

I made another card for the Split Coast Stampers Blog Group 2 challenge. It is based on the sketch of the Bella Sketch Challenge this week. This is my first time to play in a Bella Challenge, and it was fun! I really like this sketch!

All papers are from Basic Grey Romani, except for the whisper white. Ribbon came from an assortment I found on Etsy.

Now on to the blog candy! Since I have had over 1000 posts in the short time my blog has been up, I wanted to give out another little treat to say thank you to all of you! The winner will receive an 8x8 pad of Daisy D's designer paper (it also contains 2 pages of die cuts and 2 pages of stickers) , a few yards of matching fibers, and a package of tiny baby buttons that co-ordinate. Just leave a comment on this thread through Friday, November 21. I will draw a winner that Saturday morning. In your comment, tell me what you are most thankful for! I am thankful for God's amazing grace and love. And of course I am also VERY thankful for my wonderful family and friends. How about you?

Kreativ Blogger Award

Julie and Jackie have given me this wonderful award for my blog! I am thrilled beyond belief! It's my first award!







*The Winner may put the logo on their Blog
*Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
*Nominate 5 Blogs
*Put Links to their Blogs
*Leave a message for your nominees

These are the blogs that I am passing the award on to:
Michelle of Stamper's Dream
Lori of Make a Difference
Julia of Belle Papier
Melissa of LilyBean's Paperie
Dru of Garden of Dreams

please visit these wonderful blogs if you get a moment! They are wonderful and bring me such inspiration! :)
Thanks, Julie and Jackie!

SCS Blogger Challenge - Unique Snowflake

this card is for the Split Coast Stampers Blogger Group 2 Challenge. We were to use 4 different designer papers on any kind of creation. I actually used 5, as the large snowflake is stamped on one, too (and then covered in shimmerz). "Unique" is stamped in stazon on a piece of plastic wrapping that I found. Not too crazy about this card - perhaps it will grow on me! Stamps are from Cornish Heritage Farms - Joyeux Noel and Big Inspiration (my free set I received the other day!). Papers are Basic Grey Wassail and everything else (except bracket die cut - My Mind's Eye) is from Stampin' Up!

a Mousie for Christmas

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Creme

just playing around with some House Mouse images after I stamped a few to send off to a new blogging friend. The lights are covered in crystal effects, the wings are painted with white craft ink and then covered in stickles, and the halos around the lights are painted with different colors of shimmerz. More Basic Grey papers, of course! the card base is sponged in white craft ink and then the edges covered, too. oh yes, more shimmerz on the decorative strip of red. lots of shine for this card!

Blog candy should be coming again tomorrow!

CHF Snowflakes Hot Chocolate Gift set

Coffee of the Day - Seattle's Best Cinnabon

I'm showing you a photo I took of a holiday project that I made last month. please forgive the poor photo - I can scan photos just fine and take regular pictures just fine, but when it comes to taking pix of my projects I can't seem to get any good ones. I'll keep trying little tricks until something good happens! so hopefully you can tell well enough through this yucky photo!

The gift set is a painted Starbucks Frappucinno bottle holder. Each bottle was also decorated. I haven't filled them yet, but I will be putting hot chocolate mix in one, Kisses in another, marshallows in another, and peppermint candies in the last one. I think it will be cute! A friend who works with my husband loves hot cocoa, so I thought this would be cute for her for Christmas.

The stamps are from Cornish Heritage Farms, Winter Vintage Signage set. Papers are Daisy D's - both sides. Ribbons are from Stampin' Up!, May Arts, Martha Stewart, and others.

I hope that you like this and are inspired to try doing this for yourself! It was a fun project to make!

Jennifer

House Mouse Challenge Pizza and a Movie

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

Here is my entry for the Monday House Mouse Challenge. The theme was to use 'junk'. Well I have way tooooooo much of that to put on a card! ;) Anyhow, my boys had gone to the Aquire the Fire Youth Conference over Halloween weekend. As I was doing their laundry when they got back, I discovered these tickets had gone through the washer and dryer. Being the pack rat that I am, I thought, "Hmmmmm...... these might be cute on a papercrafting project." so I saved them. (oh, please don't tell hubby!) They ended up being perfect for this week's challenge! The twine really was in the junk drawer. really! :) The sentiment was printed out on my compy. papers are from guess where - Basic Grey of course! tee hee!

have a great day!
Jennifer

Crate Paper Stick Chick Love

Coffee of the Day - Starbucks Cafe Verona with Cinnamon Spice

Sorry to be late posting today. Spent the morning at the doctor's office and clinic. Ended up getting x-rays. The dr. thinks that I may have fractured some of my ribs when I fell a few weeks ago. pffftttt........ I am such a clumsy oaf! :) I always say - Can you imagine what I would be like if I DIDN'T have those 8 years of ballet??!!? So I am whooppped after being poked and bent into really weird shapes by the x-ray tech. Gonna try to hit the House Mouse Monday Challenge in a bit. Enjoying some coffee first! GRINS!!

Here is another of my World Card Making Day projects. love, love, love those stick chicks! This paper is actually from a Christmas collection by Crate Paper. It is both sides - dots and green. The diagonal stripe is also from their holiday collection. I challenge you to 'think outside the box' when it comes to holiday/theme papers. You'd be surprised at how often you can use these for something other than the holiday they were intended for. The heart is from Prima and is sooooo glittery shiny!! The sentiment is Clearly Wordsworth, brads are Stampin' Up!, and ric rac is from Walmart in the notions aisle. (great trims to be found there, by the way!)

It snowed here last night and all day today! yipppeeeeeee! I'm lovin' it! We have about an 1"-2" accumulated on the ground. It is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Thank you, God, for this beautiful treat!

Have a wonderful day! and thank you so much for all of your kind and gracious comments. It makes my day!

Jennifer

Hero Arts Merry & Bright Punch-out

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Creme

Just a short post today to show another of the World Card Making Day cards I made. This one is so cool with the punch out! only the rectangle portion has been colored in to make it stand out more. The whole thing has been sponged in gold ink to give an all-over shine. Stamp is from Hero Arts. Poinsettia is from Making Memories. Paper is Flair Designs.

have a nice evening! and be on the lookout for more blog candy next week to celebrate reaching over 1000 posts!

Jennifer

I'm a goober - forgot some blog candy goodies......

I am the Queen Goober today - hand over the crown! ;)

I meant to give a little prima something to jackie, karen from pa, and gina for guessing about the blog candy. so ladies, please email me with your addresses so I can get a few of the primas used on the card out to you. so sorry for not getting to this earlier!

and be on the lookout for more blog candy coming this month! :)

Bloomin' Beautiful Thanks and Blog Candy winner!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Vanilla

Good morning! Happy Saturday to all of you! We have a winner for the first ever blog candy! yeah! I'll tell you who in just a moment.........

First I want to post this card for you. It is another of those that I entered in the Paper Crafts World Card Making Day Contest. But I'm posting it today to say 'thank you' to all of you who have visited my blog in these first few weeks!!!! You mean so much to me! and your kind & generous comments truly make my day!

Pretty much everything on this card is Stampin' Up! I was a demo for 4 years and loved each moment of it, but had to quit when I became quite ill. I still use almost all SU! papers and inks. anyhow, I hope that you enjoy this card! the 'thread' on each of the buttons is actually a white gel pen drawn on. There was no way I was going to get these shaky hands to attempt to thread each of those little holes!

and now to the winner ................... thinker - you are the winner today! please send me your address, and I'll get these mailed out to you next week. Congratulations, dear friend! :) and more candy will be coming soon! I'm at almost 1000 posts, so we need to celebrate!

Enjoy your day!
Jennifer

Lysa TerKeurst post about the election

I have to link to this posting from a day or so ago. It touched me deeply. I am not here to get into any political discussions, but stand here as a Christian who is trying very hard to follow the example given to me by Jesus Christ. I fail miserably at times, but His grace has saved me.

I urge you to visit Proverbs 31 Ministry. I have been receiving their daily devotionals for over a year now. They are amazing! I must say though, I am many times left feeling uncomfortable after reading a devotion - not because it is bad or wrong, but because God is convicting me of something and telling me to change. Change is not always easy, but it is necessary for us to be restored to the beautiful creations God intended.

I pray daily for those in political power in our country. I ask you to do the same. God still sits on His throne and is still, and always will be, Mighty!

It's a GLORIOUS Day!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Cream

I hope that you are having a great day so far! A friend of mine loves to use the word 'glorious', and I truly believe that is what today is - GLORIOUS!!!!

So to honor that, I am posting a card that I made for the Paper Crafts World Card Making Day contest. I obviously didn't win, but love this card anyhow. (I'll be showing you the cards I made for the contest over the next few days.)

It uses the American Art Stamp Angel by Adriana Cirstea. I also used my fave 'go to' papers, Basic Grey Stella Ruby. The music comes from an old hymnal, and the lace is vintage as well. The flower circle pieces are covered in butter cream shimmerz, as is the main image. The whole thing just GLOWS! What I didn't show in this scan was the little flower that I added under the slanted sentiment at the bottom. (not sure what I was thinking when I scanned it early - probably just in too big a hurry!) Anyhow, I hope that you like this card. It is pretty special to me. Glad to know that Paper Crafts sent all cards that didn't win to our troops stationed overseas. Isn't that just so cool?!

Well I hope and pray that your day is GLORIOUS! God has something beautiful to show you today - just for YOU! Keep your eyes open!

and don't forget that today is the last day to sign up for blog candy! hurry, hurry!

Snowed in Snowflakes from CHF

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Cream (again!)

just a quickie post to show a card I made a few days ago while playing with this set from Cornish Heritage Farms - Joyeux Noel. I really like these snowflakes!

The paper is Basic Grey, Snowed in. I had cut out this piece to use on another card, but it just didn't work like I wanted it to. So I essentially made this card just to use that scrap! :) I used my glitter gel pen to go over the snowflake as well as around the matting pieces and all of the snowflakes on the BG paper. it helped to add some sparkle! the base brown vintage button was painted with butter cream shimmerz. The sparkly leaves are some leftover from a HUGE prima flower that I took apart and used on a card. Lastly, added dew drops and vintage lace.

Everyone have a great day! I just had some FREE stamps arrive from CHF that I won as blog candy! can't wait to open up the package and see what they sent!!!!! since blog candy is such fun, you'd better hurry for your chance at the fun goodies I'm offering here! :)

House Mouse Challenge Fruitful Harvest

Here is my entry for this week's House Mouse Monday Challenge. It took me FOREVER to color, so that is why I'm late getting it posted. I started yesterday and just finished this evening. (not that I worked on it that whole time though - I did sleep, do laundry, play on the compy, etc.!)

anyhow, the card is a large 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" because of the stamp size. I covered each critter in crystal effects to make them 'pop' a bit. The upper cave wall portion is also painted in butter cream shimmerz to give a little 'cavern shine'. The bg piece was sanded and then sponged with white craft and choco chip inks. the felt flower is a Petaloo that I bought from My Favorite Things. the buttons are all vintage ones.

have a great day and DON'T FORGET THE BLOG CANDY!! :D

Happy Anniversary, Tyler and Ashley! :)

Coffee of the Day - Hazelnut Cream

edited to add - He gave her a dozen red roses, the movie 'Juno' (which is one of her faves), a 4-pack of Mocha Frappucinos (that is my guy!!), and a bunch of her favorite candies. inquiring minds wanted to know - and it's okay, I don't mind you being nosy!! ;)

I had made this card in September for a contest over at Jacksonbelle Embellishments (same one as the skull card in BG Ambrosia). But I am posting it today because my oldest son decided to give it to his girlfriend for their anniversary card. 6 months of dating as of today! Congratulations Tyler and Ashley!!!!! He was so excited last night as he was getting his speial gifts together to give to her. It made me smile! We love Ashley to pieces - she is truly wonderful!

The main oval image was done with the cracked glass technique. this was my first time to ever try it. the raspberry stamp is another exclusive from Inkadinkado.

well, I've got to get back to laundry and a card I'm TRYING to put together for the House Mouse Monday Challenge group. it is taking me forever to get it colored in, and I'm still not that thrilled with how it's coming along. maybe as I go it will get better!

take care and enjoy your day! oh yes, and don't forget to sign up for the blog candy drawing! Only a few days left!

Jennifer

SCS Blogger Challenge - Polka Dot Thanksgiving

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle (again - it is very good!)

A very quick post today as I'm not feeling well. I think my nasty fall last week messed me up worse than I originally thought.

This card was done for the Split Coast Stampers Blogger Group 2 challenge - use polka dots and ribbon. Not as much ribbon as I usually use on a card, but I still think this is a cute stick chick! And in the midst of me making Christmas cards, I realized that I needed a few more Thanksgiving ones, too. The marigold morning cs was sponged with vanilla craft ink. The chipboard flower was sanded, as was the strip of dp along the side.

Everyone have a wonderful day! AND MAKE SURE TO VOTE!!!
Jennifer

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Truffle

Hello! Well, I didn't get much cleaning done in my stamp room yesterday because I got sidetracked when I saw how many paper scraps I have! so I stamped instead!!!! had to use of some of those scraps, didn't I?! ;) I made several Christmas cards. Figured that I if I even make 1 or 2 each day, by Christmas I will be set. I need to join the Christmas Card Challenge again over at Split Coast Stampers. I did that one year and it was great! All of my cards were done, but then I forgot where I put them and had to start over again. (oh goodness......) But I am comfortable in the fact that SOMEWHEREE I have a delightful stash of cards already made!!! :)

This card uses the Stampin' Up set 'Snow Swirled' stamped directly onto Basic Grey Figgy Pudding paper. It doesn't show in the scan of course, but every line of the tree was outlined with my glitter pen. the whole thing just shines irl. The prima was originally a white one that I inked with burgundy. I then sponged gold ink over the top, and gold was also sponged all over the rest of the card base. White trim is from Melissa Francis and the gold seam binding is some I found at Etsy. The rhinestones were colored to match with a Sharpie. When in doubt, buy clear or white embellies so that you can color them yourself to co-ordinate with everything!

Don't forget to register for my blog candy giveaway! Enjoy your day!

Jennifer

Riley the Moose goes camping

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Not much chatter as I have posted several other things today. Gosh, lots going on this weekend!

I made this card using the cute 'Riley the Moose in a tent' stamp from Hanna Stamps. It is a special card in honor of the camp where my hubby is the Director, Camp Burton. Even though there are lots of cabins, Riley decided to head outdoors to gaze at the stars! I'm thinking of doing these cards for a fundraiser for camp. CB is such an amazing place! Hundreds of lives are impacted by the love of God every year. My family is truly blessed to be a part of this ministry.

Did some other stamping yesterday, but came to the realization that today has to be all about organizing my stamp room. It is a mess with stuff stacked everywhere.

Enjoy your Sunday!
Jennifer

p.s. don't forget to enter my blog candy contest at the post below!

Christmas Challenge for each of us

Michelle Wooderson of Mish Mash has issued a challenge to at least 40 people - create holiday cards for children who are ill and hospitalized. I have decided to do my part to help out. Below you will find a list of children listed with the Make a Child Smile organization. If you run your cursor over the name, you will see a photo of the child appear. We all love to receive cards, especially handmade ones. Please join me in spreading love this holiday season. Link back here any of your creations. I would love to see what you have made! Thank you so much!!!!

Make a Child Smile address list

Card Contest Announcement!

Card contests are so much fun and Sue Daly has one just for the holidays! Check out her post here StampnDaly blog for all the deets. I know I'll be playing along as I LOVE LOVE LOVE that vintage! :) but I'm sure most of you have already figured that out by now, haven't you?! ;)
You have until Nov. 15 to send her your creation, so get stampin' baby! and then go back later and vote for your faves! yipppeee! time to stamp away.......................

Prayers needed please

lots of important posts today ~

this is an urgent announcement to all of you. One of our fellow stampers needs some prayers right now. Laurie Schmidlin of Just Give Me Stamps and her family have received the startling news that their daughter, Ali, has a brain tumor. They are currently in transit to Seattle for a biopsy to discover if the tumor is cancerous. PLEASE, please, please say prayers for this young girl and her family! People around the globe are sending cards and praying. I am getting this card I had on hand in the mail today. not real girly but I figure everyone needs puppy hugs! If you would like the address, please either post here with your email address or send me a private email. I will respond as quickly as I can.

The stamping community is a wonderful, kind group of people. It is times like this that we all bind together to offer support to one of our own. We are blessed indeed!

thanks so much!

Jennifer

p.s. for more information, check the Stamper's Dream blog hosted by Michelle Rodgers.

more blog candy!

quickie quickie post here -
more blog candy up for grabs at Michelle Giraud's WONDERFUL blog - Twisted Chick Creations. She has a really neat store called Paper Addiction and will be giving away treats from there. Run, don't walk, and check it out! :)

Riley the Moose enjoys his coffee! :)

Coffee of the Day - Cinnabon again, because hubby brought me the most DELIGHTFUL Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday! That is probably one of my ab fab fave flavors of coffee! yummmmmmmm.....

Well as I was blog hopping this week, I came to the shocking realization that I had Riley the Moose stamps that had never seen ink! HORRORS! I also noticed the abundance of circles on many of the projects that I saw. Soooooooo...... I decided to combine both with a theme for one of my most fave things in the world ever - COFFEE! Grins! :D This cute little patootie is sittin' in his easy chair, feet propped up, enjoying that YUMMY little cupcake (I went back and blinged it up a bit with a rhinestone cherry on top), and savoring his GLORIOUS cupppa joe! Notice that he even has a special mug - covered in polka dots no less! who in the world would drink out of a PLAIN MUG?! not me, that is for sure. I seem to collect coffee mugs and have so many amazing ones.

The papers are from Basic Grey Archaic collection, ribbon from May Arts, fibers were a wonderful little treat from Etsy, and you gotta love the dew drops! I thought it appropriate to finish off the card with the sentiment from Stamping Bella (there is a free shipping special going on through Nov. 4). Don't you think he's 'hot stuff'?! ;)

have a great day! don't forget the BLOG CANDY!
Jennifer

My Fave Skull Stamp EVER and Blog Candy!!!

Coffee of the Day - Seattle's Best Cinnabon

No tricks today, only treats! First I want to share with you my absolute fave EVAH skull stamp. As some of you know, with a last name like Scull, I have a certain fondness for skull stamps. It doesn't make any sense, but I've learned in stamping, that is okay! They are also some of the only ones that my teenage boys actually like as well.

Anyhow, this stamp comes from Inkadinkado and is called Skull Damask. It is an exclusive stamp to AddictedtoRubberStamps. I have bought several of their exclusive Inka stamps and really love them! I made this card for a challenge over at Jacksonbelle Embellishments, but knew exactly who I was going to send it to. We have a very dear friend of the family who is such a rocker - she headed up her own band, plays every single musical instrument, has amazing photography skills, and is just an all-around AWESOME person - all in her young 15 years of life!!! Miss Maddie received her card 2 days ago and loved it! I hope that you do as well! The papers are Stampin' Up! and Basic Grey Ambrosia. The ribbons are SU! and May Arts. Little rhinestones sit in the corners and on the punch.

Now on to what all of you have been waiting for - BLOG CANDY!!!! yesterday's card contained a hint - some of you came close, but the answer is that almost everything used to make the card is part of the giveaway! I thought goodies from the Basic Grey Lollipop Shoppe collection would make the perfect blog candy. See the connection?! yep, pretty lame I know, but that's me! Also, what better time to get candy than on Halloween! another roll eyes........

For the candy, the winner will receive 20 pieces of BG paper - 2 each of 10 designs, 1 sheet of Lollipop Shoppe die cut tags, BG Lollipop Shoppe fibers, 30 baby buttons that co-ordinate, a bottle of Dew Drops Hydrangia, and a pack of Prima layered fabric flowers with rhinestone centers. To enter, just leave a comment here by Friday, November 7. I will conduct the random drawing the morning of Saturday, November 8 and post here.

Have fun and good luck to each of you!
Jennifer

Blog Candy secret! Can you guess?

Coffee of the Day - English Toffee












Hello! Today's post contains a secret message - try to figure out what it is! :) I created this card in honor of tomorrow's Blog Candy posting. The card contains a secret as to what the treats will be. Can you guess? Leave a message and it might be worth a little something for you........

Cutie Snag 'Em Skull

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog Latte`

Good morning! I was thrilled when I woke up to see snow on the ground. So far it has stayed, but warmer weather is coming, so I'll enjoy it while I can!

I was stamping a bit the other day and remembered that I had bought this cutie pie stamp a while back at Jacksonbelle Embellishments, but hadn't used it yet. Talk about horrors for Halloween!!! :) So I decided to make this card. It is 4" x4", so not too big. My oldest son is going to give it to his girlfriend. (gosh, I hope she doesn't check out my blog prior to Friday! wait, that sounds weird.....) anyhow, I used some of my Basic Grey Ambrosia papers on this. her bow is covered in Stickles. Added the ribbons and a few dew drops and ta da! Very quick, even for me.

Have a wonderful day!
Jennifer

House Mouse Challenge

Coffee of the Day - Seattle's Best Cinnabon

I have decided that my poor House Mouse stamps need some love, so I have joined the House Mouse Monday Challenge group. I made this card, which is a huge 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" because of the stamp size. I know that my hubby, David, can't seem to get enough football on Sunday afternoons after church. So this seemed to be the perfect stamp to use this week! Our church adults group has a Super Bowl party every year, so perhaps I'll save this until then as a 'thank you' card. Of course you must notice the burnt orange shoe of the football player - all for my Texas Longhorns, baby! ;) The decorative papers are my fave brand, Basic Grey. These are from the Recess (stripe and plaid) and Boxer (main image wavy) collections.

In case you haven't noticed yet, I try to link certain products back to their website to make it easier for you if shopping. As always, if you have any questions about anything you see here, just send me an email (click on the profile button to see email info).

I'll be posting blog candy on Friday. Be sure to check back so you can enter to win!

Hope that you are having a wonderful day!
Jennifer

Warm Wishes Snowflakes

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

What a wonderful day! I was taking out my dogs this morning (Mocha & Latte, yep I told you I have a thing about coffee!) and it was snowing!!!! not big flakes, mind you, but just a little flurry. Oh it was so joyful to see those flakes! I love the snow! even after 10 years of living right smack dab in the heart of the snowbelt of Ohio, I still grin like a little kid when it starts to snow! of course nothing stuck, but it sure did my heart good to see those cool flakes landing on the dogs' coats. I truly believe that EVERY SINGLE DAY God has a special treat just for each person to let us know that He is thinking about us. That was mine! What is yours today? Keep your eyes open!















So in recognition of those first snowflakes of the season, I am posting this card I made yesterday. I received this wonderful stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms in the mail at the end of last week. I had won them from a card contest they had on World Cardmaking Day. (Yes, there is such a day no matter that my hubby, David, says that EVERY day at our house is Card Making Day!!) Anyhow, I was challenged by some of the ladies over at CHF to make a card over the weekend using the set. The snowflakes are embossed in white and the main image is covered in Butter Cream Shimmerz. yep, I told you I love that stuff! I also added a bit of Shimmerz to the flower. The buttons and lace are from my vintage stash.

Everyone have a great day! May love keep you warm!