Just a Happy Little Sheep! :)

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut

Hold on to your seats - I am actually done with my Mo's Challenge card EARLY!!!!!! I know, you are wobblin' in your chairs, not sure whether the earth is still rotating, the sun is still coming up in the east, the Yankees are still gonna win the Series..... you get my drift..... :)

I actually made 2 cards yesterday that were back to my happy little style and I was in hoggie heaven! or maybe I should say SHEEP! I have always loved this image from Mo's Digital Pencil. Just something about the primitive take on it, but also the expressions of those carefree sheep! Somedays I long for that meadow on a hill far away. you with me there? So I grabbed my new Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers, my new to me apron border punch, some stickles, baby primas, that fabby gold Mike's ribbon from the other day, and went to town! The sheep are actually covered in this way cool clear glitter glue I found. It gives them some extra dimension and a tad of sparkle without making them too glittery shiny. The flowers are covered in crystal effects and the bees in candlelight shimmerz. Needed a non-traditional card fold for both the challenge and my Secret Sister card, so combined them with this gate fold. I had never done one before and was surprised at how easy they are to make. Man, I love trying new techniques and folds! Wrinkled up the edges and made sure to not glue them down all the way to add to the prim feel.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jennifer

Cupcake Wishes

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Just a simple card to share today. I took part in several of the challenges last week over at the I {heart} Papers Birthday Bash. Lo and behold, one of them up and won! You could have knocked me over with a feather! These weren't my usual style, so I was quite surprised to see my name on the winners list. My prize package arrived yesterday - a box full of yards and yards and yards of May Arts ribbons as well as an October Afternoon paper kit. So perfect for me!! I was feeling kinda yucky all day, so this was quite the picker upper! Even hubby was impressed! :) I guess the point I am trying to make is this - enter challenges and contests, even if you don't feel quite confident in yourself. You just never know!

My card uses some of the new Basic Grey Nook and Pantry papers. This is such a cute line! but then what of their's isn't?! you know what a nut I am for all things BG! I finally inked up a cute little Studio G cuppie I have had sitting around looking oh, so lonely FOR-EV-ER. added some stickles to the icing and flower center to give a bit of shine. The ribbon is from May Arts and is actually gathered along the tails - not sure how much of that shows in the scan. The flocked 'wish' sentiment is by Anna Griffin. colored the rhinestones with a sharpie to match and tossed them on to add a bit more bling. Very simple, which is weird for me! cuppie is popped up on dimensionals.

Have some projects to work on this weekend. Was contacted by Paper Crafts mag to put together a few card sets for them for an upcoming fundraiser they are doing - that was exciting! oh yeah!!! :D also have a huge, wonderful blog hop coming up on Monday, so please stop back by for that. Sunday starts my Guest DT stint with IldiCo, so you will see some really fun stuff with them all month long. So hopefully some neat stuff on the way! :)

Hugs & Kisses with a Frog on my Head! :)

I am in love with a new line of stamps! These Kraftin Kimmie stamps just crack me up! They appeal to my wicked humor side in such a sassy kind of way! I love the expressions on these girls - just a riot!!!



There is a challenge each week on the blog, so check it out every Thursday. As usual, I am just sliding into home base with mine. But I couldn't resist playing along. The challenge that ends tonight is for fall type colors - rust, brown, and either green or yellow. I obviously went with green on mine. I have seen yellow frogs, but chose the traditional green! :) The little froggie fella sitting beside her is actually a separate stamp.



The papers here are Basic Grey Scarlet's Letter. The bow, hair barrettes, ponytail holders, ruffle, and petticoat are all painted in shimmerz. The card base is also edged in it as well as the little dots I added along the way here and there. Whoops - so is the center of this beautiful Prima flower. Buttons are Making Memories and the stitched grosgrain ribbon is from my stash, so I am sorry I don't know the mfg. Border punch is Martha Stewart. I realized after scanning this that I really need something in the lower left hand corner to balance it all out, so I will probably go back and add a little something. I masked the dress to add the flourishes to match the ones in the papers.

Have a great evening! See you tomorrow! :)

Some DT info....

You are going to see a few changes around here......

I have decided to get back to my stamping roots so to speak. After a long talk with hubby a week or so ago, we have both come to the decision that it was in my best interest to leave several of the Design Teams that I was a part of. Please please please let me make this perfectly clear - no one has done anything to cause me to walk away. This is my choice. I am not angry with anyone, and no one has done anything to upset me.

I just need to get back to being me. I feel that I have lost that along the papercrafting way, and it was making me not so happy. And I need my crafting to bring me peace, relaxation, joy, and a sense of worship to my precious Heavenly Father. It wasn't really doing that so much for me for a while there. And I must get back to that.

I need to get back to stamping in my style. And so you will be seeing more of the vintage stuff again. More of that sassy whimsical touch that I used to throw on every once in a while (like the cuddly spider from the other day, but I promise, no spiders for a while since most of you have made it clear you don't care much for them! grins!)

Please continue to frequent these wonderful stores. The artists work very hard to bring you creative, amazing digi images on a constant basis. and I hope to maintain a friendship with all of the lovely people I have met through these Teams.

I have some fun Guest opportunities coming up as well as continuing my work with Doodle Beans. I know that blog hits will drop as well as the possibility of losing followers, but that is not with this crafting/blogging thing is all about for me anyhow. It is about the process - the creativity - and the need to do it even if no one ever looks at another thing I make. I do it because I have to. Because it is a part of who I am. and it is a part of me I have to be true to.

love to you all!
Jennifer

A Bear in the Leaves

Coffee of the Day - Dulche de Leche

Hello! I have been wanting to play with the cute bears from IldiCo for a while, and it just seemed as if I never had the time. well a challenge was posted to use sewing of some kind on your card, so I decided to play along even though I can not sew well at all! even faux sew! :)

Sadly the faux stitching doesn't seem to show up at all in the scan, so I will be making another card for the challenge - awwww shucks, gotta play with my bears again! grins!!!! The gold leaf matting piece as well as the dotted piece both have faux stitching on them in gold gel pen. Maybe if you look VERY closely and squint and aim your monitor just the right direction you might get some inkling of a shimmer of the stitching somewhere..........

Anyhow.... on to the deets......

The papers are Basic Grey Indian Summer; ribbon is a great find from the $1 bin at Michael's; leaves and card base are covered in scattered straw distress stickles; velvet leaves are Prima; button is JHB from JoAnn's.

I am quite interested to find out how many of you really don't like spiders. Fascinating! I will be cautious about posting spider cards in the future just for you! :)

Have a great day!

Jennifer

What a cute cuddly spider! awwww.....

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee


There are some people in this wacky world who love spiders and there are some people who don't. I happen to be a spidey lover - hubby and Ryan are NOT in a most definite way. They do not like my card. They were even mad at me and wouldn't talk to me after I made it. That made me giggle. Just for that I think I am going to send it to David at work one day out of the blue......

DZ Doodles has some wonderful images, but this happens to be one of my faves. This week Kim and Diane have a color challenge going on - use orange and black. I knew immediately that I wanted to feature my spidey friend on a card! I had picked up a remnant of this gorgeous lace trim at JoAnn's the other day, and it seemed like a perfect match with its web-like appearance. The paper is from the Basic Grey Ambrosia collection. I added some vintage buttons from my stash and some orange stickles for some fun glittery touches.

Hope that all of you are doing well. Chat with you again soon!
Jennifer

It's Monday - must be time for COFFEE!!! but every day is time for coffee around here! grins!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Caramel

It's a beautiful day indeed when I can start the day with a fresh cuppa joe in my hand and feature a card with coffee on it, too!!! Today starts a new challenge over at Digital Ink - use buttons, bows, glitter and fabric on your creation.

Well the first 3 are easy peasy pumpin spice latte simple for me, 'cause I do that without even thinkin'! but FABRIC???? oh my goodness gracious me..... I don't sew...... can't faux sew straight to save my life......... the boys would notice if I ripped up their clothes for a wee scrap of material...... but then again maybe not considering the way holes in the jeans are fashionable. so I thunk and I thunk and I came up with burlap as the perfect material for my image from Jules Junk - that fabby coffee press that I adore. since coffee beans come in burlap bags when being shipped from their far off countries (or at least in my exotic imagination!) I thought that would be the ideal pairing. little did I know in my tiny burg how difficult it wuld be to track down burlap! so I settled for this neato bandito burlap garland smidgen I found at our neighborhood Michael's crafty supply store!!! Added some of the coolio retro/vintage paper from Recollections, some added embellies courtesy of Making Memories, tied my bows with linen thread, and oh yes, the glitter is painted on with shimmerz Hi Ho Silver blingz and caramel shimmerz around the main image edges. The colors match better irl than what ended up in the scan.

So grab your supplies and play along with us!! Check out the other simply AMAZING creations by the super-dee-duper DT!!! and this is the last week of the 50% off sale, so fill up your shipping cart! I did my shopping, and it was grand! :)

A Beautiful Thankful Day! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca


I was reminded this morning while reading the new challenge over at Stampin Sisters in Christ, that we need to be thankful in all things. How like God to know that I had this card planned for today! :) It is amazing to me how such little things can be of importance to Him. and what a difference they can make in our lives. It's not a big deal really, but it is certainly enough to make me grin and know that in His way, He is saying, "see, my child, I know EVERYTHING about you and I am watching. I know it all, and I care about every detail of your day. I love you THAT MUCH!" and so I say 'thank you, God, for loving me always, most especially when I don't deserve it', which feels like most of the times. and thank you, faithful blogging friends, for sticking with me through the good times and bad! so this card is for you! you touch my day each time you stop by and join me for a cuppa, leave a little comment love, which is in itself leaving a little bit of yourself behind for me to cherish. :)


My card uses this wonderful digi from Doodle Beans. It is available in both black and brown print. Here I have used the brown. The paper is Basic Grey Indian Summer. I sponged rose on the sentiment and around the edges. Artichoke was inked over the distressed edges and also sprayed using my ink squirty tool. I did a light gold wash over the entire piece. The leaves and berries were filled in with spiced cider shimmerz paint. I added this fabby glitter flourish from Making Memories and a handfull of buttons from my vintage stash. Some JoAnn's lace trim and vintage seam tape finish off the card.


I guess what makes me giggle the most about this card is that I had one of my all time fave CD's playing while I was making it - one by a group called 'The Insyderz' entitled Skalleluia. They are a Christian Ska band. It is just so in contrast to my card - but that is me! sassy and shabby all at the same time! :) good thing God loves me just as I am, but is always moving me to where HE wants me to be!!! thank Heavens for grace!


Have a glorious day! love ya!
Jennifer

It's a S2G Blog Hop!! :D

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Welcome to the 1st S2G Members Blog Hop sponsored by Shirley's2Girls! If you've just happened upon my blog, you can CLICK HERE to start from the beginning at the S2G Challenge Blog. If you arrived here from *HELEN's* fabby blog, then you are right on track!

I have made several things for you to see - so let's get started.......

The first uses one of the new Thanksgiving sets for the Twisted Thursday challenge - use the sketch and incorporate a pumpkin somewhere. The paper is K & Co. Greenhouse. Love this spunky new pack!!! All of the leaves and such are outlined with my spica glitter pen to add some sparkly shine. Love the ginormous Prima accent!!! The card base top and bottom are painted in butter cream shimmerz to add more glitz. The pumpkin felt sticker is a glitter one. This is a really fun digi set, so go check it out!

My next project uses this adorable garden digi plus the watering can template featured over at SCS this week on the newsletter. I have also added a few flower lollipops that include some vintage buttons from my stash. This set wil be a little giftie for my Secret Sister! so shhhhhhh......... I sure hope she likes it!! :) This template was so fun and easy to work with, made even more so by the simplicity of re-sizing the digi to fit my project! Thanks S2G!!! :D The gloves and scissors are painted in shimmerz to give them some sparkle - 'cause you knw that is what I like to do! grins! A little shabby, a little sassy - that is me! of course if it is a S2G project ther has to be some stickles on it, so I used gunmetal on the tag and the lollipop polka dot scallop circles.

Now how about a prize? We loves our prizes!!! :D In addition to the fabulous eye candy, we have decided to hide a prize somewhere along the hop! One pre-selected blogger will draw a random winner from the comments on her post, and the winner will receive a free stamp from Shirley’s2Girls. The fun part is...we're not telling you who it is! is it me? hmmmmmm...... is it someone else? hmmm...... could be....... So as you hop, make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!! We will announce the winner on Monday in the SNR S2G Forum.

Now hop hop hop on over to see *Mae* and her wonderful creation!!!

A Polka Dot Mushroom? No, you aren't seeing things! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice! glorious!!!!

Going dotty? Seeing polka dot mushrooms? No you are not hallucinating....... it is a cute little button sprite from The Stamping Boutique!!!! isn't she just the cutest thing?! I thought she would be perfect for the new sketch challenge Stef has posted over at SNR.

I used this fun paper from K & Co. called Greenhouse. It is just as spunky as can be! The flowers and buttons are from Making Memories; baker's twine is Martha Stewart. Added in a bit of my fave vintage seam tape to complete this fun card!

Be sure to play along with us! TGIF to all of you!




Love ya bunches! Jennifer

Freebie Friday with Sew Many Cards!

Be sure to grab the new cutie while you can! It is only available as a Freebie Friday for a limited time over at Sew Many Cards! Try using it in this week's challenge! I won't tell you what it is - but it is perfect for the holidays! :)

Also, there is a new networking forum over at Sew Many Cards, too. You will find info about upcoming releases, digis, challenges, and papercrafting in general. Love to see you there! :)

Look at what Angela has snuck into the store just in time for Halloween..... isn't it adorable? Tayla has an entire digi pack just waiting for you!

Newborn King

I really wanted to play in the challenge this week over at Stampin Sisters in Christ - create a project that honors the birth of our precious Saviour!!! Well how could I resist?! :)


This stamp set has long been one of my very faves. I couldn't wait to get it out and inky again. I decided to emboss it in gold on natural cs, and then use my watercolors on this thick paper to see how vibrant it would turn out. the paper did not disappoint!!! look how those colors just pop!!! The beautiful dp is by Anna Griffin and was also inked with a gorgeous verse in Versamark for a subtle bg effect. I then embossed the pomegranate in gold in the lower corner. I added the luscious gold May Arts ribbon, a Prima flower, button, and gold cord. All edges were inked in gold.


The really cool part about this whole project - while I was making it, Ryan had pulled out one of our very favorite movies of all time, Godspell. I had that playing in the background while i was creating!!! Had a hard time keeping my feet still!! He and I were both singing along the entire time!!! What a glorious way to worship in more ways than one!! :)

I am also using this card for the Whimsy Stamps challenge - use embossing - heat or dry - on a project. this is my first time playing in one of their challenges. I used to emboss all the time and had forgotten just how much I really enjoy it! thanks for taking me down memory lane - both with a long forgotten technique and a treasured stamp set! :)

Digital Delights by Louby Lou Guest DT Day!!! :)

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Caramel (this is for Dave since he has been so good to me!! it's his fave!)

Today is my Guest DT day over at Digital Delights by Louby Lou!!! I am so excited!!!! I have 3 projects to show you, so hold on to your horses, grab your coffee, and enjoy!!! :)



•Patriotic card - When I first saw this cute little guy, I knew that I wanted to try out my brand new Jenni Blowlin Trendy mini paper pack to go with him! All coloring is watercolors and his hat, bowtie, coat, and the spotlighted area have been painted over with crystal stickles. I added in some fun little extra embellies from Making Memories Vintage Findings packs in addition to their tiny buttons and May Arts plaid ribbon. some distessing on the edges of the papers adds to the fun of this happy patriotic card! Makes you ready to celebrate anything! :)



•Present card - How would you like to be surprised with a raccoon in your prezzie for the holidays? Well if he is as cute as this fella - the answer would be a loud YES!!! :) When I saw him, I knew that I wanted to make a Christmas card, so I grabbed my Basic Grey Wassail paper pack and went to town!!! The card measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square. All of the gold painted areas are covered in beeswax shimmerz for that extra fun glittery shine! A sparkly Prima ornament and flowers along with some teeny tiny buttons add to the holiday feel. Sure to make someone's Christmas a wee bit brighter!



•Bandana Sheriff card - Howdy Pardner! This fella welcomes you to town complete with his ten gallon hat and western bandana. He has the shiny sheriff's star courtesy of beeswax shimmerz (which was also painted on the other metal star embellies). A gingham ribbon, leather button, and some twine help complete the western look. The bandana paper by Flair Designs has been edged in faux stitching. Our owl friend was watercolored and then sponged with darker ink to give more texture. His vest was sponged with white craft ink to give a worn feel. The feather is his hat is actually the top of a leaf stick pin that I removed and then adhered. It just seemed too perfect to resist! This card would be just the thing to send along to that guy in your life!

Check out the fun digis that Wendy has available for you. Each week she has a Freebie Friday giveaway, there are fun challenges to enjoy, tutorials every Tuesday, and just lots of inspiration for any project you could possibly imagine! Thanks, Wendy, for the chance to be a part of your crew for the week! What an honor! :)

Mo's Challenge - Fall Frolickers

Here I am sliding in by the seat of my pants again for another challenge, but I really wanted to play in this one - it is for Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Blog. You know how much I truly love Mo's beautiful artwork, but it seems these days I don't get to play with her images as much as I would like to. So when I saw the challenge for this week was to create something using fall colors, I knew I would have to try my hardest to participate. Deadline is tonight, so I am just barely squeaking in........



My card uses more of these beautiful papers from K & Co. - I only found one of each sheet at Michael's the other day, so I want to use them on precious projects. A Mo certainly qualifies!! :) This digi is one of my faves of hers! I just love these little guys - they remind me so much of the ones from the movie "Willow" - one of my all time favorite movies. I used my distress stickles on the dandelion head - gave a really cool look irl. Also pulled out the handy dandy ink squirty tool with 2 colors of ink - green and brown, over the entire main image. lots of distressing - as if you couldn't tell - tee hee hee!!! Wanted to go with that whole woodsy/rustic feel. The card base is edged in vanilla craft. Love these coconut buttons. seemed the perfect way to finish it off. Couldn't tell you how many projects I have used both this sentiment and this trim on - but obviously I love them both!!!! gotta be thankful for stand-bys! Card is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.



Be sure to play in the new challenge starting tomorrow. And don't be late to the party like me! :D

A kitty in the Flowers.....

Coffee of the Day - well let's see.... first there was Vanilla Biscotti, then we had Creme Brulee... now we are starting the Pumpkin Spice.... (David was helping me drink it - no, really!! grins!!)

Every flower garden needs a pretty kitty sitting in it, don't you think?!?! And you can't get much cuter than this little guy from Shirley's 2 Girls. I was blessed enough to win this great set, Little Ray, a few weeks ago for the Twisted Thursday challenge over at S2G. It comes with 3 sayings, too. I just love the look on that cat's face. priceless!!! I wanted to get it inky the moment it arrived in the mail, so this week's TT challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity. The twist this week is to use chipboard. Notice the waaaaay cute blinkie on my sidebar - this Saturday is going to be an AMAZING blog hop for S2G and their fans (that would be ME!!! giggles!) so be sure to come back by! and try to play in the challenge, too. Tomorrow starts a new one.

For my card, I decided to try something different and stamped my image on river rock cs. Oh baby, was this delightful for watercoloring! it just soked up the inks and gave off the most amazing colors!!! I will definitely be doing this again!!! To help make the image pop a bit, I outlined it with my white gel pen. The bg paper is actually from a Making Memories vintage collection. how funny is that?! :) I am always throwing those gals off with my use of shabby stuff on their sassy images! grins! :D the sentiment is stamped on a small chipboard circle that was inked with white craft and then edged in the river rock. Added a few butons and a Prima to complete the sketch, plus tied on some happy grosgrain ribbon, just 'cause I loves loves loves my ribbons and trims!!!! Ta Da!!!! a happy kitty in the garden! the card is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.

Have a lovely day! may it be filled with lots of sunflowers and tweeting birdies! :) (just perhaps not sitting upon your head!)

Yet another post for today! Vintage Hope......

One more to show you for today -

I wanted to use this neat digi from Simple Doodles - it is a freebie for the entire month of October if you head over to Hand full of Stamps to get before it is gone. The challenge for using this digi on a card ends tomorrow, so I needed to get a post up ASAP. I am trying to get back to my stamping roots a bit - do a bit more of my shabby/vintage style of papercrafting.

As I started working with this image, the pieces just came together. The main image was sprayed with my ink squirty tool in gray and then edged in cotton candy stickles. I broke into my beloved Daisy D's paper stash, wrinkled up this piece, distressed it first with sahara ink and then gold. The gold doesn't show in the scan but shows up ever so lightly in irl. I didn't glue the edges all the way down to add to the shabby feel. The card base was sponged and edged in vanilla craft. I added a Prima that was lightly sponged with the same gold ink and a crown sticker that was inked with brown staz-on to age it. To properly finish off the card, I added some vintage lace from my Etsy stash and this wonderful old earring find. It just seemed perfect for the flower!

Make sure you schedule your mammy and do your monthly checks. You are important to me!!! :)

Lolita is coming to play! :)

Today is Lolita Day!

Everywhere you look in blog land there will be these adorable little Strawberry Lolitas just popping up all over! This is to celebrate a new digi company called Busy Beauties created by the multi talented Carolyn Bounds!!! Her store is wonderful, and Lolita is just one of several amazing digis you will find there! Nope, I'm not a paid employee or DT member, just a happy groupie who was invited to play in the sandbox with her fabby peeps! giggles! and I wanted to include all of you, too! I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the fun to be had!

So on to my card ~

I pulled out my 'go to' papers of late - the Basic Grey Sultry line. Of course we had to get some shimmerz shine happening here, so her dress, hat, bows, and scarf are all glittery shiny sparkles! A gril has got to have a flower as well, so the Primas came to the rescue. Add a fun button, some leaf pins and vintage seam tape, a couple of dew drops, and we are ready to rock the casbah, baby! I think she might get invited to the party again, wadda ya think?! :D is it girlie enugh?! my guys rolled their eyes........ then I knew I had the 'girlieness' nailed! tee hee!

check out what the DT has created with their Lolitas! and head to the store if you get the chance. You'll be glad you did! :) and join the group over at PCP for lots of fun chattin'!

Carolyn, Grace, Catherine, Annita, Kelly, Karen, Rachel, Heather, Lauri, Barbara, Carmen

Just a happy little bunny!

Coffee of the Day - a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Dunkin Donuts in bed! what a treat from hubby! :)

Good morning! Dave surprised me with a Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice Latte this morning he picked up after dropping off the guys at school! man oh man, what a treat!!! that, my friends, is the way to start a morning!!! He said that pre-dawn is way too early to be thinking about coffee, but I told him that it is the PERFECT time to be thinking about coffee! of course, ANY time is the perfect time to be thinking about coffee imo, but that is another story entirely........

so that makes me A HAPPY LITTLE BUNNY! just like this cutie little guy on my card.................

Today marks the beginning of a new challenge over at Sew Many Cards. This week the challenge is to use a sketch - I happened to turn the sketch over. The circle on my card is a chipboard coaster covered in dp. The papers are by Making Memories. The tiny buttons are also MM. The large button is from my vintage stash. The wings on the dragonfly are painted with butter cream shimmerz.

Be sure to play along with us! and check out the other DT members for some more inspriation! you know they will have some fabby samples on their blogs! Don't forget to pick up that adorable little Freebie Friday kitty that Angela has up for grabs for this week only!!!

Also, check back this afternoon for a special blog post! :)

FUN Chocolate!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

A new week means a new challenge over at Digital Ink! This week you get to do an ABC project - Anything But A Card.

One of my fave "go to's" is a covered Hershey bar. I mean, who can resist chocolate? expecially BIG chocolate!!! :D I used this great digi by Angela of Sewn Together from the Breast Cancer Awareness pack. Please consider making a purchase of this pack - not only do you get some wonderful artwork, but your purchase helps go toward Breast Cancer reasearch, too. Used some Basic Grey Sultry papers, this super soft Anna Griffin satin ribbon, a bit of pearl trim to match the pearls our adorable little bunny is wearing, and a spray of flowers. Of course I glitterized parts with my handy dandy shimmerz paints! A trio of baby Primas with bead centers finishes it off.

Don't forget that all items in the D-IC store are 50% off through the end of this month!!! fabby sale!!! I have been waiting 'til closer to the end of the month 'cause each designer keeps adding so many new things almost every day! I want to have a complete selection to choose from! of course you could shop every day or every week if you want! They certainly won't mind! :)

So be sure to play along in the challenge with us! There is a gorgeous digi up for grabs as the prize!!! check out all of the fun creations by the DT and by Linda, our Guest DT member for the month!

Home is Where the Heart is

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Wanted to share a little homespun card with you today that uses a digi from Doodle Beans. I found these interesting vellum craft papers in my stash from Martha Stewart and thought it would be neat to pair them with this sweet digi to create a homey feeling card. I punched the hearts and added a little twine tied button to each. A bit of wired gingham ribbon finishes off the card. The card base was edged in white craft ink to add to the country feel. I sponged white craft ink over the house to give the appearance of a stucco finish - really adds more dimension irl.

Have a great afternoon!

Jennifer

p.s. sorry for the short post, but I am really sick today and needing to get back in bed.... blech! :(

Stamping time for me.....

Coffee of the Day - Seattle's Best Cinnabon

Good morning! no snow..... so I'm a bit downtrodden..... feeling a bit more like Eeyore than Tigger....... but we will muddle on because that is what Poohs do best here in the Hundred Acre Woods......
(side note - because it was Homecoming week at the HS - Thursday was costume day - Ryan actually went as Tigger - waaaay tooooo funny!!! the little voice box in his costume kept going off in classes all day long! giggles!)


I love my DTs. I really love the people I work with and for. I enjoy the designs and artwork. But sometimes I just need to create for me. I just need to be able to make something that doesn't follow a sketch or color scheme or use a particular image or stamp. It takes me back to why I do this papercrafting in the first place. Why I would still be sitting at that table in my chair with no rushing left in the seat, barely holding on, save for the VERY thin pillow I sits myself upon if all of the DTs went away & the world outside my door went away. So that is what today's post is all about.

I came across this wonderful digi the other day. It is from Paper Gardens. I wanted to use some new K & Co. sheets that I had picked up. These all just seemed to go together. I added in some vintage buttons and leaves punched with a Martha Stewart punch; trim from my ever faithfuul JoAnn's trim dept. and that does it. Even David stopped by twice to tell me he thought it was beautiful. He doesn't use that word often with my cards.


It has been a rough week. I have a new infection I picked up last Sunday after going to church for the first time in ages. When I went to the dr., he said that this is pretty much the way life is going to be for me from now on - I have no immunities anymore, so I will get sick every time I go out and am around people. And with this new disease I have, I will be getting lots of new infections anyway. So it's been difficult coming to terms with all of that. But gosh, I can't just live my life in a bubble, never experiencing anything anymore. Never going anywhere anymore.

So I figure we all take a chance every single day. And I do not walk alone anywhere I go - God walks with me. He is my protector. and if I get sick, oh well. I get sick. But I will not give in. But I will continue to stamp, even though David wants me to quit. I have to. It helps me to deal with everything. And it is my outlet. And it is my small act of worship to a God who has never once left my side. nor will He.

love to you all! Jennifer

Kitty Kisses for a Cause! :)

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

What a glorious day - we are supposed to have SNOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

yipppeeeeee!!!!! can you tell I'm excited?!?!?!? not so great for tonight's Homecoming football game, but wonderful for the season!!! :)

Today is a very special Freebie Friday over at Sew Many Cards. Angela has designed this adorable cat in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. and notice the FREE part!!! :) but only for the week, so run run run and grab it!!!

I made this simple, but fun card using the new Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers. I waned the focus to be on the cutie patootie kitty! I shaded the cat with several colors of inks and then sponged white craft over the top to add some extra dimension. The collar and ribbon charm have been painted with pink shimmerz.

don't forget to play in this week's pink, green, and white challenge with us this week!

Love ya! Jennifer

It's a glittery cupcake Balloon!

Doesn't everyone need a bright shiny glittery cupcake ballon to brighten their day?!?! :)

This week's challenge over at The Stamping Boutique is to make something using the colors pink, turq, silver, and add LOTS of shiny sparkly glitter!!! how much is that right up my alley with all of the pink I've been using lately (well, all of the time when you think about it........ grins!)

This adorable little cupcake balloon digi just came immediately to my mind. It is covered in pretty much every single color of shimmerz paint I own!! :D The card base is painted in it, too! I also added in some cotton candy stickles to the cupcake's icing as well as the edges of the main image for even more glitter! The buttons were feeling left out, so I made sure to use some pretty pink glittery ones from my stash. gotta keep those embellies happy! giggles! Paper is from Basic Grey Two Scoops. card is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.

Be sure to come join us over at SNR or PCP and play along! Aren't all of these challenges fun?!?

Talk to ya tomorrow!

Believe in Hope

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

Through one of my chats over at SNR I met a really neat woman named Lisa who introduced me to a digi company called Digital Delights by Louby Lou. Every week they have sketch challenges and digi freebies. Last week I picked up this wonderful little set and decided to play along (just barely sliding in by the seat of my pants!!) with the sketch challenge. Well this morning I awoke to the glorious news that they have asked me to be a Guest DT member for next week! how exciting is that?!?!? so I wanted to show you the card I made for the sketch challenge.

Breast Cancer awareness is soooo important to every woman. It has impacted more people than you will ever know. I had a big scare with it myself several years ago, but God delivered a most amazing miracle in my life. I am all about promoting awareness of this year 'round!!!

My card uses the cute Pink Ribbon Bonnie and Believe sentiment. Papers are Basic Grey Sultry collection. Flowers are Prima. Buttons and trim are from JoAnn's. Hairbows, socks, and the 'believe' ribbon have been painted with pink shimmerz. The 'believe' sentiment has been outlined with pink stickles. The card is sized to fit in a legal envie.

I know exactly who I am going to send this to. A young 20 something girl who was a former Camp counselor has undergone a double masectomy and is currently in chemo. I want her to know that hope still exists. And that she deserves something pretty. Wherever you are in life right now, don't ever give up hope. Believe. and know that you are treasured.

Love ya!

Jennifer

Angel's Landing Blog Hop!!! :)

Coffee of the Day - I think we'll have some Pumpkin Spice today! grins!!! :)


Welcome to the Angel's Landing Blog Hop!!! How exciting is this!!! Thank you sooo very much, Judi, for including me in this hop again! I am thrilled to be a part once again of your fabby new release party!

If you have arrived here from *Lauri's fabby blog*, you are right on track. If at any time you lose your way, just head back over to *Judi's main blog *at Angel's Landing for the master list.

Two new sets are being released today - Penguin Chicks and Season's Tweetings. There are several opportunities for blog candy along the hop as well, so be sure to follow the hop all the way through! Head over to SNR and PCP for some fun chatting throughout the day as well! It's a great place to get to know the ladies of the DT and Judi, as well as other people who love Angel's Landing digis! :)

Now for a peek at a wonderful little fella from a great new digi set!!!

I fell in love with these furry guys from the new set, Penguin Chicks, just as soon as I saw them! Isn't he just adorable with his great hat?!?! My boys all have hats just like these little guys, so maybe that is why they are so special to me. Could also be the special facial expressions that Judi draws on each one of them. A-DOR-A-BLE!!! I used this neat mitten template from over at SCS. printed it out on the new Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper. Decided to go with a folksy/country look, so added a bit of patchwork to the mitten. Adhered some wonderful trim across the top with tiny rhinestones I colored to match using a sharpie. Added a few buttons, 'cause what fun would one of my creations be without a few buttons? :), and there we have it!!! I thought that filling the mitten with a few yards of some gorgeous vintage seam tape would make this the perfect gift - kinda completes the whole theme!

Now hop on over to *Cheryl's most amazing blog* ('cause we know that poor little penguins don't fly!) for more pretties with Judi's digis!!!

Time for Coffee with Shirleys 2 Girls!

Wanted to do a quick post of 2 cards I have done using digis from Shirleys 2 Girls. And who can ever resist coffee images, right, right, right????!!!??! hey, I can't hear youuuu......... we loves our coffee, yes we do........ :D

anyhow.... on to the cards....

this cute digi and several fun sayings were freebies last weekend over on SNR for Digi Day. being a fan of both S2G and coffee you can imagine how quickly I snagged these, plus loved the chattin' and hangin' out that was going on! :)

The first card uses papers from Rusty Pickle. I wanted to show that you can use a fun whimsical image and still taylor it to suit your style - for me - the shabby/vintage look. I added in these wonderful Starbuck's stickers and great Prima trim. tossed on some vintage buttons, and voila! a cool card!

The second card utilizes this week's Twisted Sketch Challenge - follow the sketch plus add metal. I added this fun metal office clippie (kinda hard to see in the upper right corner) yes, it has a cutie patootie button on top of it! there again, it is all about making it all your own style! but this is probably one of the most CAS cards I've made in a while. quite a reach for me. so I'm lettin' the Girls rub off on me, too! :D The paper is American Crafts Pesto. Buttons are Making Memories. I did shimmerize the cup with some Royal Red shimmerz and Hi Ho Silver on the spoon..

Now go quickly make a card for the challenge and play along!!! hurry!! :D

Merry & Bright Penguin

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

Wouldn't you love to be greeted by this cutie little penguin from Sew Many Cards outside your door?!?! Well she is all wrapped up snug as a bug in that sparkly pink scarf ready to pop over to your house to say hello! Join in the fun of this week's challenge - use pink, green, and white papers only on your creation! How fun is that?!?!?! And you know that the DT has some perfectly pink-a-liscious inspiration to tantalize you even further, so be sure to visit their blogs to gaze upon their beauties, too! Leave them a little comment love, 'cause we all know that just makes our days whistle right along! grins!

I used Basic Grey Sultry papers with this fabby pink and white pomp pom ric rac. Both the card base and main image have been edged in clear chunky glitter. For a touch of whimy, I added this amazing bright pink hibiscus from Prima. it is so not in keeping with the snow and cold, but it is just as colorful as can be and brought a fun touch!

I have to share a little sneaky secret with you - I got a peeky poo at the new Freebie Friday yesterday. whoa baby, are you ever gonna be impressed with what Angela has come up with! I will tell you that it is in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. and it is purrrrrrrfect!!! you are soooo gonna wanna snag this one for your digi collection! come back Friday and I will have a sneaky sample featuring this cutie!!! but for now, get going on your new challenge project! can't wait to see what you come up with! :D

We're Just an Old Indian Couple........

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut

Welcome to another challenge with Digital Ink! There is a great sketch for this week's challenge project - super neat and oh, so fun! Be sure to get in on the blog candy giveaway - just one week left! :) We all love our blog candy!!!

Don't forget that all of the digis in the store are 50% off for the entire month of October! what a deal! and please please please take a look at the amazing Breast Cancer Awareness Pack put together by many of the fabby designers at D-IC. the digis are fun, but the rewards from purchasing this set will be even longer lasting! :)

I love these cute little Indians on my card - they come from Judy of M & M Designz through D-IC. Hailing from a family with a Native American background, these 2 just warmed my heart! I immediately wanted to pair them up and make a card for my sweetie! The great thing about digis is that you can put several images right up close to one another as I did here. I wanted to keep this card a bit rustic, so I did some distressing and wearing down of the edges to naturalize it. I intentionally popped them up a bit, rather than gluing the edges down smooth. The paper is from Making Memories. The beads are from Flair Desings. That gorgeous flower is a Prima. Don't the colors remind you of a beautiful sunset?!?! Added a bit of natural magic mesh to give some more texture.

Please join in and play along! Don't forget to visit the other DT members to see their inspiration pieces! some very talented ladies who continually amaze me with their creativity!!! :)

have a great day! love ya!

Jennifer

Doodle Beans Sympathy & Blogaversary Candy winner

Coffee of the Day - more Pumpkin Spice!

Hello! Several things for you today. I guess first and foremost is the winner of my blogaversary prize drawing! That is probably what most of you are coming to see this morning! :) My actual blogaversary isn't until the end of the month, but seeing that the prize package contains fall themed proucts, I wanted to get this out asap. So will

-------> SARA <--------

send me an email so I can send out your prizes to you just as quickly as I can!!! congratulations!!!

Now on to my card. yeah, I know, it's the big let-down after all of the fun! grins!!

Sadly I was in need of a sympathy card. Remember our nephew Wesley that many of you have been praying for? Well our BIL's mom passed away the other night, Wes's grandmother. This family has seen so much tragedy in the past month. Our BIL's father died just a month ago. But goodness, so much sadness for an entire family. My heart is breaking for our family. It brings great comfort knowing that God is holding them tightly in His arms. No other place can bring the same kind of comfort. and they are truly finding rest there. I am amazed at the strength that they are gathering from the prayers of friends and family. Truly a blessing. Truly indeed.

My card uses this beautiful digi from Doodle Beans. I watercolored it, being sure to let the inks pool in certain spots. I love that effect with watercolors! The flower centers were painted with beeswax shimmerz and then the little lines were highlighted with a gold spica glitter pen. I painted the main image edges with the same shimmerz paint. The paper is from the Basic Grey Lilykate collection. Isn't this vintage trim gorgeous?!?!? I found it over on Etsy. the buttons are vintage, too, and I added a little prima rose along with some vintage seam tape. The card base is edged in whte craft ink.

Everyone have a glorious day! Hug your loved ones tight, and tell them how much you love them!

and love you, too!

Jennifer

DZ Doodle Candy Cane Kisses!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti (yep, it's a coffee flavor, and it's yummy, too!)

Well you coulda knocked me over with a feather the other day when I received a wonderful email message from Kim of DZ Doodles. She and Diane, the owner, were asking me to be a GUEST DT member for today's new releases!!!! boy howdy, was I ever excited!!!! of course I said a VERY LOUD 'YES' with lots of exclamation points (I think they might have actually heard me, too!! grins!!)

So without further adieu, let me show you this beautiful new candy cane digi from DZ DOODLES.........

Isn't it just gorgeous?!?! I love the versatility of this beautiful candy cane with the poinsettia. The coloring is all watercolors, but then I painted over most of it with either shimmerz, blingz, or stickles. There is so much shine on this baby you need to get out your shades to gaze upon it's fine-ness! giggles! (actually the fine-ness all comes from the very talented Diane who drew this, not me at all!) There is a light wash of pale blue around the candy canes, but it doesn't show well in the scan. it really helps them to pop off of the cs irl.

The papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and Daisy D's (peppermint stripe). The leaf and flower are by Prima. I took this plain little vintage button and painted it with beeswax shimmerz to mimic the coloring of the pointsettia center. now it sparkles and shines and has lots of character! dress up plain buttons with a little glitz, and make them feel like the belle of the ball! :) tied on a satin ribbon, popped up the main image on foam tape, did some inking to the card base with white craft ink, and we have 1 more Christmas card complete!!!

Here is another card I have made using one of their fun digis - Pumpkin Time. This is not a new release, but one that came out for World Card Making Day. Again, the papers are Basic Grey, but the Indian Summer collection. The felt leaves are some that a friend gave me several years ago, and the vintge button is from my wonderful stash. I love this burlap trim that I keep using on my more masculine cards - it came from JoAnn's.

Please check out the full set of new releases available today from DZ Doodles. also head over to PCP to join the fun group of lovers of this fun digi company! We'd love to see you there where we can chat and have a great time just hanging out talking about papercrafting!

Freebie Friday Scarecrow

It's time for a Freebie Friday digi over at Sew Many Cards! You can get this cutie little scarecrow, who really isn't all that scary, now is he?, for FREE!!!!

My card is made to fit in a legal size envie. The decorative papers are Making Memories. I added some fun little buttons to his suspenders & hat and then a stack of vintage buttons to the silk leaf. I used a white gel pen to add polka dots to his shirt to match the papers.

Race on over to get your free digi now!!! watcha waitin' on?!?! :D

Up for a game of Ball?

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

Good morning! I sure hope it's a grand day where you are! It's rainy here and cold as well, but I am loving every minute of it! :) yep, it's weird, I know, but that let's me know that snow is just around the corner!

I am trying to get one more package of cards in the mail for the children in the family of Kate, the little 5 year old girl suffering from brain cancer. You can find more info here. This card is for her brother, Will, age 4. I sure hope he likes it! Almost all boys I know have played some type of baseball at one point or another, so hopefully he will enjoy it. Please consider sneding along a card or 2 if you can. They need to arrive by Oct. 15, so you need to be speedy getting them to the p.o.

I used this adorable digi from The Staming Boutique. The card also incorporates the sketch challenge that Stef has given us for the week over on SNR. I tried to keep the card fairly simple considering to whom it is going. The card base is paper by Cosmo Cricket. I love the happy feel of this paper! perfect for baseball! :) A little bit of ribbon, afterall it is for a boy as my guys are always reminding me!, a few buttons, and it is ready to go! I did 'dirty' up his face a wee bit, as my guys never could play baseball without ending up covered in dirt and usually most of the playing field! and every year meant a new pair of cleats with matching socks and baseball pants! oh the fun of those Little League years! :)

check back later for a card featuring the Freebie Friday digi from Sew Many Cards! and leave a comment for a chance at the Blogaversary blog candy! talk to ya soon! :)