A Bloomin' Time Challenge Card

Coffee of the Day - Toffee Nut

Good morning! I wanted to post the second card I made for the Simply Sassy Design Studio Grand Opening Challenges over the weekend. I only had the opportunity to play in these 2 challenges, but want to try to tackle some of the others later on when I am up to it. It really was a fun time at SNR.

The challenge for this card was both time and following the rules. Each participant had 1 hour to complete their creation. Each project had to utilize the following:

• cardstock
• butterfly or bug
• punch
• ribbon
• border
• glitter
• salutation

The wings on the bee and parts of the flower were painted with butter cream shimmerz to add to my glitter. I used 2 punches - the MS border (this is one of new fave punches!!!) and the scallop square. I added little dots of fruit punch stickles to help 'bling' it up slightly, but wanted to keep it to a minimum and have the shabbiness be the predominant style to come through. you know me and shabby!!! ;) I used my ink spray/squirty tool from SU! to add some brown specks on both the main image and the card base. Patterned paper is K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection (lovin' this stuff, too!) and buttons are a great clearance find from JoAnn's in the notions section. More vintage seam tape completes the card. Main image is popped up on extra thick foam tape. Oh gosh, I forgot to say that the stamps are from SU! Bloomin' Beautiful set and were watercolored using SU! inks.

Have a beautiful day!

Jennifer

Answering a few questions ~

I wanted to have a short post to answer a few questions that have posed to me over the months that I have been blogging. Please feel free at any time to contact me! I'm not always great about getting back in touch with you right away, so please forgive me. It's nothing personal - it's just me and my health stuff and my sometimes lack of tech savvy!

1. What is the Coffee of the Day? It is the coffee that I happen to be drinking that day. nothing too scientific about it - no grand guru telling you what concoction you should be sampling - just what happens to be perkin' in my pot! :) and it's all decaf, which is tough because I really like the flavors and many don't come in decaf.
2. How do you color your images? I have been doing a lot of watercoloring lately. I don't have any of the fancy markers like Copics that you see on many of the blogs. I just have my handy dandy SU! markers, which I do enjoy, but don't use as often now as I used to. I primarily just use the SU! inks (from the lid of the ink container), a little cup of water, and 1 of the 2 cheap watercolor brushes I own. I do a lot of shading with the inks, just like the pros do with the Copics. I'm a big fan of 'use what you have' since I can't afford the higher priced products. I also like to use my blender pens.
3. Where do you get your supplies? I buy a lot of my supplies from Michael's and JoAnn's using those faboo discount coupons!!!! But I have several online stores that I really enjoy. You can find those listed on the sidebar of my blog. But I try to keep my eyes open for great finds everywhere! I am a bit of a snob when it comes to certain product lines, I confess. With the exception of the black ink, all of my ink and solid card stock comes from Stampin' Up! For decorative paper, I like Basic Grey, Daisy D's, and K & Co. the very best. My flowers are almost always Prima.

Hope that helps with any answers you might have been seeking! Have a great day!

A Simply Sassy Princess - doesn't that sound like me?!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

I had the opportunity to do a wee bit of stamping yesterday, so I played in several of the Grand Opening challenges for Simply Sassy Design Studio. This card I made uses one of their cute digi images, Princess Aria. As I've been doing lately, I watercolored her with my SU! inks. Her dress and hat were first painted with pink shimmerz prior to watercoloring. this gives a wonderful glimmery base - perfect for any princess! The papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection, flower is Prima, rhinestones are Darice, and the little heart pin came from the sewing section at JoAnn's. The ribbon is vintage seam binding. Edges of pink card stock base were inked with white craft ink.

I have to say a huge 'thank you' to all of you LOVELY people who have stopped by to express your encouraging thoughts and prayers. It makes my heart sing! I may be feeling yucky physically, but my soul is soaring with the eagles! :) You are the best!

Here I am to Worship......

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

This is a tough post this morning, so please bear with me. I'm going to try not to cry, because I'm afraid that if I start, I won't be able to stop.

I came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon with some distressing news. My husband was relieved that we are finally getting some answers - but I confess, I'm not really liking the ones we're getting. But life is like that - we don't get to pick and choose our circumstances or situations all the time. My dr. has found tumors in my esophagus, stomach, and intestines. He biopsied all of them and will have the results mid August. I also have colitis. The tumor on my pancreas can't be reached by scope to be biopsied, so we'll determine the end of August how to address it after a few more scans and tests. I'm still trying to come to terms with all of this. The colitis doesn't really bother me - just one more life-long thing in my ongoing list: seizures, tremors, migraines.... But all of these tumors.... goodness, they are growing so quickly and spreading into so many places.

So I've been trying to keep all of this in the proper perspective - and spending time in worship at my Father's feet. He is and always will be mighty. He is and always will be good. He is and always will be in control. And I am surrounded by beauty everyday that He has placed before me. I just have to remember to look for it. And to see the many abundant blessings in my life. I am rich, beyond my wildest dreams, because I have a precious family, amazing friends, a house, nature in its splendor all around me, and the list just goes on and on.

Today I ask you to find the beauty around you and tell God 'thank you'. Soak it up, fill yourself with the joy that He has for you EVERY DAY! and that will be your act of worship to a God who loves you more than you can possibly fathom.

I send you hugs! May your weekend be glorious! :)
Jennifer

Splish Splash digi fun!

COFFEE of the Day - Toffee Nut (did you notice it says COFFEE?!?! yippeeeeee!!!)

I am playing with some wonderfully fun digi images today - from Digiments and Mo's Digital Pencil. and guess what - both are FREEBIES!!!! cute and free to boot - can't beat that with a stick! and I had a blast creating with these babies!! so run to the sites so that you can have your very own to play with!

The main image is watercolored, with Crystal Effects added over the water. I used a white gel pen to fill in the polka dots and a glitter pen to highlight the star on the ball. My boys always had play balls that sparkled! I traced around the sentiment with a gold glitter pen to add some extra fun on the banner. It is curled to add extra dimension, in case it doesn't show well in the scan. The dp is from Flair Designs, ribbon is from SU!, and flowers are Prima. Buttons are from an ancient stash that has been hiding in the depths of my stamp room for eons. I'm surprised they didn't crumble into dust as soon as they hit sunlight! ;) oh, and the card is a long 9"x3 1/2" to fit in a legal envie. Perfect to send to someone, they expect a bill 'cause of the size, and VOILA, a cutie pie summer card!

Have a great weekend! Have your own 'fun in the sun'! :D

Jennifer

p.s. I'm also using this card for a neat challenge over at Bee Crafty - another fun digi stamping site. Check out the great images there as well! super cute!

It's the Angel's Landing Blog Hop!

Blog Hops are so much fun and I'm so glad you have come along for this one featuring the new July releases from Angel's Landing! If you have come from Lynn's blog, you are right on track! (Anytime you find you have lost your way, you can head back to the master list found on Judi's digi stamps blog.) To start at the beginning, head over to Judi's blog and follow the links.

Now on to the fun! There are 2 sets of exciting digital images in the releases this month: Marching Band 1 and Marching Band 2. I am featuring a few little guys from both on my card. I used the smallest images of the set and watercolored them. While the paper was still a bit damp, I sponged with the darkest ink to help add a bit of texture to their cute little bodies. The horns were first watercolored and then covered in a wash of candlelight shimmerz to give the instruments that extra shine. I knew that these little guys were going to be announcing some big news, and what could be more exciting than the news of a brand new baby! The bright colors, which are all the rage right now, echo the happiness! And you know I had to give it my own little shabby, distressed touch, now didn't you?! ;) Papers, flowers, and buttons, come from Making Memories. Charm is a cute little one from my stash. Ribbon is May Arts. Punch is from Martha Stewart.

Now head on over to Sparkle's blog to see what amazing things she has done! This is a VERY talented Design Team that Judi has put together, so you will be truly inspired! And you might find a bit of blog candy along the way!

Have fun hopping!

Jennifer

I stamped!!!! :)

Tea of the Day - Green tea with Mint (thank you, Eva!)

Guess what? I have stamped 2 days in a row now!!!!! Woooo hooooo! This is so exciting! And I am going to get to play in the super uber exciting blog hop for Angel's Landing coming up on Wed., so I hope all of you please check back and hop along with us!

Now on to my card......

I used this faboo craft stamp from Stamps Happen by the Janlynn Corp. called "God's Window". I wanted to make a card to send to my friend, Eva, who's mom passed away several months ago. Eva came over last week to help me out with some errands after I went 'sailing' off the porch with my dogs onto the driveway and ended up in the ER with a nasty concussion. She also brought me some absolutely delish tea (see above tea of the day) since my tum's not quite ready for coffee yet. I wanted a thank you card, but also something to hopefully be a bit encouraging, since she is really missing her mom. I can surely sympathsize. I'll get to that later, 'cause I wanna tell you some more about the card.

The paper is from my preciously hoarded Daisy D's collection. I'm still heartbroken that they are going out of business. I added these wonderful little roses by Prima and some vintage buttons from Etsy. The trim is Wright's. All coloring is watercolors. I used shimmerz on the angel's wings (buttercream) and the opening to Heaven (candlelight).

Yesterday I took a drive - yeppers - a typical Sunday drive! :) It was truly glorious!!!! David, Mick, and Ryan were all out at Camp and Tyler was at work. So I went out for a drive. The day was so beautiful and I was feeling better. My dad and I used to go driving all the time when I was growing up. I had bought a CD for my birthday using a gift card from my FIL. It's the 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' CD by Simon & Garfunkel. This was one of my dad's faves and one we listened to together MANY times. I guess I should interject here that my dad died almost 17 years ago. I am an only child and he & I were very close. He was really my best friend. Since I hadn't had a chance to listen to my new CD yet, I took it along with me on my drive. What a great time I had, driving through the beautiful countryside, my memories and me. I laughed and cried. But it was amazing. And yes, I still miss him as much today as I did 17 years ago. But I hold tight to the knowledge that I will see him again someday. So I know how Eva is feeling right now. And that is why my special friend needed a little card from me. :)

Love to you all! Thanks for putting up with my rambles!

Jennifer

Still here!

Yep, I'm still around. Just going to lots of dr.s' appts. and hanging in there. But I did want to pop in to say "hello" to everyone. Haven't had a chance to stamp yet, but still longing for the day when I feel up to it again. Hopefully it won't be much longer!

In the mean time, there are a few 'must see' sites you need to check out if you are the least bit interested in the digi stamp craze. I am so very impressed with the quality of work that I see available, and so much of it is for free or next to it! With the exception of one, I'm not involved with any of these sites, just WOWed by the artistry and wanted to share.

*Angel's Landing
*KLM Designs
*Mo's Digital Pencil (this is the blog, but a free download appears!)
*Mel Stampz (this is her blog, but check for the free digi downloads)
*Hambo Stamps (look for the freebies, too. the cat that Edith used in her cute card that she sent me is one of them.)
*Shirley's 2 Girls (this is the challenge blog that has 2 free digis - also check out their other cute digis for sale on the home page!)


obviously MANY more exist out there in cyberspace, but these are some of my faves. now if someone will just create some vintage digi images.............

love to all of you!
Jennifer