Pink Lambs and Flowers....

Coffee of the Day - Holiday Spice

Good morning! It is a WHIMSY kind of day!!! and I am feeling PINK!!! the challenge this week is to make a monochromatic card, and all of y'all are just sitting there in utter shock that I happened to choose pink, now aren't ya?! giggles! well soft cuddly lambs just need pink clouds of sweetness surrounding them, don't ya think? and this little Whimsy Lamb just makes me smile so BIG!!!!

of course I had to go to my fave line of papers - Basic Grey - when it came time to choose what to go with this cutie patootie. the swirls in the Two Scoops collection seemed just perfect. Wanted to fill you in just a bit on how I colored the lamb - as it can be challenging to make a 'white' image stand out on white cs. First I highlighted the swirls of the fluffy coat by painting with a pale grey ink. Once this had completely dried (remember I am using watercolor brushes and SU! inks here), I went over the entire lamb with a VERY light wash of palest blue. This made the lamb really POP off of the cs. I even painted over the face. The blue ends up barely showing as 'blue', but your eye does notice the difference in the overall image. I then VERY lightly painted a clear glitter glue coating over the entire lamb to give a subtle sparkly shimmer. not too much, but just a teeny tiny amount. The edges were lightly sponged in pink and then edged in sahara sand. I used this fabby 'around the corner' border punch by Martha Stewart called lattice for the solid BG pink paper at the bottom. THAT is one gorgeous punch!!! I think it is my new fave of all of hers. you may end up seeing it a LOT on upcoming projects! A soft cuddly lamb just seemed to call for some soft yarn, so I grabbed this wonderful pearly bit I had left over from some something that I had been given a while back. yep, I save everything and Dave constantly fusses at me about it. but thankfully I have a room where I can store it all........ that happens to overflow into the rest of the house, but that is a whole other blog post or two or ten or twenty or so :D added these wonderful flower buttons that were an Etsy find and a prima flower with a dew drop center, and this card is done! oh yes, it is a gate fold card.

be sure to check out the other DT members' contributions to the challenge! you just know they are going to be out of this world!!! and while you are at it - play along! also, Whimsy has a great Christmas card contest going on until Dec. 12. Also, tomorrow starts the 12 Days of Christmas. There will be lots of fresh ideas, prizes, savings, and more going on at the store, so check it out!

off to craft my day away with the dogs by my side and a bottomless cup of coffee in my hand!!!

love ya! Jennifer

The Road Not Taken

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Sorry I am sooooooo late getting my Doodle Beans post up today. My guys left a little bit ago on their big deer hunting adventure, and we have been all weekend getting them ready. whew..... what an adventure just getting them ready to go! :) so much stuff to wash, and pack, and prep, and check, and re-check, and run to the store again and again.... goodness me, I am plum worn out! but they will have a wonderful time in the mountains of the Allegheny Forest of western PA. about 2 or 3 dozen men show up at camp every year. then to top it off, our Jeep started leaking gas just within an hour of them getting ready to pull out. so David worked with Tyler and Mick to try to figure out what the problem was. yikes! but they are on their way and should be there within another hour or so. this leaves me and the pups almost a full week of crafting and coffee!!! :)

So here we go with my card.......

I love this peaceful sunset image that Randa has drawn. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I wanted to pair it with this portion of the Robert Frost poem, 'The Road Not Taken'. Thought it would be kinda neat to use my label maker to punch it out rather than print it on the compy (not to mention that Ryan spent all his spare time this weekend on the compy catching up with his friends before taking off to the WILDS where Facebook doesn't exist! grins! no time for mom to squeeze in......) My gorgeous Basic Grey Stella Ruby paper went perfectly with this serene atmosphere. the little flowers are Making Memories. added a skeleton leaf, vintage seam tape, and a wee bitty button.

See y'all in the morning! :)

Beary Dust Fairy Bear

This card has taken me FOR-EV-ER to get finished. not for any reason other than I seem to keep getting called away while working on it, or am waiting on something on it to dry, or was looking for the right paper to work with it, or always SOMETHING or another. so I was thrilled that I got to finish it up today. :) do you ever have projects like that? I love this adorable little fairy bear from Beary Dust that Sue has drawn. It just makes me smile every time I see it! I can think of so many different cards I want to make with her and so many different color combos.

I decided to use these wonderful glittered papers from Die Cuts with a View. Her wings were covered with blue stickles. I added some Prima flowers, buttons, and vintage seam tape. The card is 5" x 5 1/2". Be sure to check out Sue's blog for some neat stamps and a possible freebie! ;)

Finding Vintage in your Garage.....

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

Good morning to everyone! hope today finds you well - well rested, well fed, and well loved! I find myself needing to create something vintage today, and show you some as well. Gettin' back to the heart of my creative soul, I guess you could say. I just find that at times I really need to refresh and renew with something OLD. weird, isn't it? but then, that is me - weird! but I guess we need to embrace who we are and just go with it. It really helps me to get back on track with the other stamping and crafting that I need to do.

This is a card I made for a call-out at PaperCrafts magazine - use your garage for your inspiration. Obviously the card wasn't accepted, so I can post it here, but I do like the way it turned out. on a side note, I have decided to stop submitting things for publication. nothing is getting accepted - my style is just not what anyone wants. now this is NOT the advice I would give to anyone else, mind you. just what I am doing for me. I have accepted the fact that I will be a 'one hit wonder' - only being published once, but that is more than I ever dreamed of, so I am happy with that. I am just so weary of the rejection. Anyhow, no more depressing stuff, back to the card.

I copied an engine manual I found in the garage and distressed it. I also took 4 little washer type things and used those in the corners. The stamp is one from River City Rubber Works. Once the watercoloring was done, I stamped the Sanded bg stamp over the top to add to the distressed look. Paper is Flair Designs. added the stamped ticket, trim, and vintage buttons to complete the card. finished size is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

everyone have a wonderful day! enjoy this beautiful weekend with your friends and family! love ya!

Jennifer

Rusty Pickle Winners and Happy Thanksgiving!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

First to get to the part you all have been waiting for - the winners of the cute digis from The Rusty Pickle. The winner of the bunny is Linda from Payne Holler Cards and the bear is Sue from Sue's Sentiments. Congrats ladies! I hope you have a great time with you adorable new digis! I will send these right out to you!


Next I want to show you this card I made with this fun digi from Squigglefly. I had planned to show you a different card, but hadn't finished it up yet. Perhaps later on in the next few days. I used papers from K & Co. Wild Raspberry. The trim is from JoAnn's. the flower is Prima centered with stickles. buttons are from my vintage stash. shimmerz are painted on her beautiful bow. I love this adorable digi. her expression is just priceless! the card is sized to fit in a legal envie.

Have a glorious Thanksgiving with you family and friends! I am most thankful for all of you who so faithfully visit my blog and put up with me day in and day out! thank you from the bottom of my heart! love you bunches!!!!
Jennifer

More Rusty Pickle Sneak Peekies

Welcome to the FIRST EVER New Release at The Rusty Pickle!!! Michelle is introducing a fun new line of baby themed images that are truly adorable! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday you will find sneaky peekies of these images on the DT members' blogs. Hop around to the blogs and you are going to see some AMAZING creations!!! Plus you will have the opportunity to win some way cool digis from RP! how can anyone resist that?! :) don't forget that even though this is a new release, there are a TON of great digis already in the store!

Here is my card for today's new release. I used this adorable little bear and more of my gorgeous Prima papers. I cut the paper with a scalloped circle punch and then added little dots of distress stickles. The bear's bow has been sparklefied with December Sky blingz by shimmerz. I added some of my beloved vintage buttons and a velvet prima flower.

Now on to the prize opportunities ~

There are several ways to have a chance to win some fun images ~

1.Be sure to leave a comment here and become a follower of The Rusty Pickle. On Wednesday evening, I will draw 2 winners - One winner will win the bunny I’m showcasing today and the other winner will receive the image I’m showing Wenesday! I will announce winners on my blog, so be sure to check back Thursday.

2. GRAND PRIZE - For a chance to win the ENTIRE set of digital images that are being showcased MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY on the DT's blogs, PLUS three more images of YOUR choosing, make sure you leave comments on ALL the DT blogs on all the days they are showcasing, PLUS comment on and become a follower of The Rusty Pickle blog!
3. RUNNER UP - For a chance to win the ENTIRE set of digital images that are being showcased MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, make sure you leave comments on all the DT blogs AND become a follower on The Rusty Pickle blog AND leave a comment on The Rusty Pickle blog!
4.Get THREE additional entries into drawing #2 and #3 above by mentioning The Rusty Pickle on YOUR blog and linking it up in your comment on The Rusty Pickle blog!

Now be sure to leave comments on both today's and Monday's posts for your chance to win these 2 cute digis. Head over to my fellow DT members' blogs for not only a chance to win there, but also to see their amazing creations!

Have a wonderful day! :)

New Releases at The Rusty Pickle!

Welcome to the FIRST EVER New Release Day at The Rusty Pickle!!! Michelle is introducing a fun new line of baby themed images that are truly adorable! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday you will find sneaky peekies of these images on the DT members' blogs. Hop around to the blogs and you are going to see some AMAZING creations!!! Plus you will have the opportunity to win some way cool digis from RP! how can anyone resist that?! :) don't forget that even though this is a new release, there are a TON of great digis already in the store!

First my project ~

I used some of the beautiful Prima Nursery Tales paper along with some Jenni Bowlin mini paper for the crinkled heart. The main image as well as the card base and matting piece have been sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist to give a gorgeous vintage sheen. The ticket is from Making Memories, flower is also Prima, trim is from JoAnn's, and buttons from my vintage stash. what is super cool is that the flourishes are part of the paper and are actually flocked. I love that!!! this bunny just asked me to be made into a vintage baby card. how could I look into those precious eyes and tell him 'no'?! grins!

Now on to the prize opportunities ~

There are several ways to have a chance to win some fun images ~

1.Be sure to leave a comment here and become a follower of The Rusty Pickle. On Wednesday evening, I will draw 2 winners - One winner will win the bunny I’m showcasing today and the other winner will receive the image I’m showing Wenesday! I will announce winners on my blog, so be sure to check back Thursday.
2. GRAND PRIZE - For a chance to win the ENTIRE set of digital images that are being showcased MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY on the DT's blogs, PLUS three more images of YOUR choosing, make sure you leave comments on ALL the DT blogs on all the days they are showcasing, PLUS comment on and become a follower of The Rusty Pickle blog!
3. RUNNER UP - For a chance to win the ENTIRE set of digital images that are being showcased MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, make sure you leave comments on all the DT blogs AND become a follower on The Rusty Pickle blog AND leave a comment on The Rusty Pickle blog!
4.Get THREE additional entries into drawing #2 and #3 above by mentioning The Rusty Pickle on YOUR blog and linking it up in your comment on The Rusty Pickle blog!

man oh man, that is a lotta chances to win some fun images!!! what are you wating on - start commenting! :D

Tasting Snowflakes - yummy! :)

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut


There are 2 fun challenges going on at Whimsy Stamps right now - one on the challenge blog and one over at SNR. My card is for BOTH!!! giggles! The challenge blog says to make a Christmas item, SNR challenges us to try a new card technique - an easel card. Well after seeing the ones I made this weekend, David has decided that these need to be our Christmas cards this year. they are really easy and fun to do! give one a try and you will see for yourself! :) Jana has a great tut over at SNR, so head on over to see. Then you can upload your own creation. If you make it a Christmas card, you can upload it to the challenge blog this week, too! Double duty!!!! whoopppeee! Please be sure to check out what the fabby members of the DT have created for the Christmas challenge. they are all so very talented and come up with the greatest ideas! :)


My card uses the ever fun Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper along with this adorable Whimsy Reindeer. Admit it - you have tasted snowflakes, haven't you?! grins!!! The snow is my wonderful chunky glitter and the snowflakes have been covered with stickles. The ric rack is from May Arts. To finish it off I added some buttons and a felt glitter sticker. I am showing you two photos, one of the card opened, and one of the card as the easel. for the easel one, please excuse the darkness of the pic. It is so hard for me to get a good photo at our house with so many trees surrounding it. I love our trees though! :) and a light box is not in the budget anytime in the future. (now you see why I scan so much! grins!)


Everyone have a great day! I will be back with another post later today, so be sure to stop back by.


edited to add - Just announced - a Christmas card challenge going on over at Whimsy Stamps! MAJOR prizes, so head to the blog (links above) to check it out!!!!

Blingy Christmas Lattes! Now I really really want one....... :)

This wonderful digi image is a freebie over at DZ Doodles for just a week before it goes into the store, so I used it for the challenge this week ( yep, it ends tonight and I am cutting it close getting my post in...... as allllllllllllllwaaaaaaaaaaaaays..........) The challenge is to use the colors red or burgundy, tan or cream, and green.

I pulled out my wonderful Basic Grey Wassail papers. Then I went to town adding little extras to the cups. They just called to me - 'dress us up'!!! I collect all kinds of coffee cups, and each one is so unique and different. So I drew lines on the cups and added itty bitty baby rhinestones. The poinesttia and leaves have shimmerz added to the highlight lines. The great part about this card is that it is a NEW TECHNIQUE FOR ME!!!!!!! woooooooooo hooooooooooooooo!!! it is an easel card, shown all spread out. I made several of these today - you will see another tomorrow. These are so much fun to make!!!! you have to try it out!!!!!!

Have a wonderful evening and I will see you tomorrow!
Jennifer

A Vintage Ornament Line-up

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice of course (it was hubby's choice today - see below for funny story!)

Today, as is every Sunday, is Doodle Beans day for me. Not designated by Randa, the owner, just by my own choosing. I think because so many of her images have such a special meaning to me in regards to my faith. So it just seemed appropriate to make every Sunday the day I showcase something with the neat digis from DB! :) yep, I'm a goofball, but we all knew that anyway!

One of the new holiday images is this beautiful line-up of ornaments.I love the way they look and immediately wanted to pair them with this gorgeous paper from Basic Grey's Fruitcake collection. I tried to color some of the ornaments to match those in the paper as best I could. I then took my spica glitter pen and outlined each ornament as well as any little swirls, lines, or curlyques within. so irl ther is a lot of shine! This fabby-licious trim is more of my JoAnn's stash - you have just GOT to go check out their trim section to see what they have!! you will be amazed! :) Poinsettia is from Prima, leaf punches are Martha Stewart, and vintage buttons are from my Etsy stash. card base is edged in white craft ink.

Now for the funny story about today's coffee. David chose our flavor today. Actually we had two - the pumpkin spice and creme brulee. but I have to tell you a secret - my hubby is a closet pumpkin spice latte lover! he will go through the drive-thru at Starbucks so he doesn't have to get out and take a chance someone he knows will see him with a pumpkin spice latte & give him a hard time! it makes me giggle every time I think about it!!! I have to order them when we go to Starbuck's together. He is afraid that the guys at the church district office will razz him big time for being a latte lover, so he goes 'undercover' to get his. now understand that my hubby is a 6'4" guy who looks quite intimidating at times. our middle son, Mick, is even taller than his dad. so the idea that he sneaks through the drive-thru just cracks me up!!!!! Obviously he drinks as much pumpkin spice coffee at home as he possibly can!!! Sorry honey bunny, you have been OUTED!!!!

everyone have a great and glorious day! love ya!

Jennifer

A Beautiful Flower for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Another beautiful image for you from The Rusty Pickle. I love the simplicity of this flower. and the great thing about it is that you can color it for any season and to match any papers. Put a few together and you have a lovely bouquet. Big news is that sneak peeks start on Monday for a neat line Michelle has designed! All of the DT will have peeks, so be sure to check out everyone's blogs!!

I went back to one of my all time fave EVER Basic Grey paper collections for this card - Stella Ruby. I haven't used any of these papers in a while and figured it was about time. I love the colors, flowers, gosh, just pretty much everything about them!!! Only certain parts of the flower have been painted with my shimmerz. Much to my absolute horror, I discovered that I was almost out of my beloved, treasured, pink shimmerz paint. oh my goodnes gracious me!!! what was I to do?!?! I just automatically grab that paint for EVERYTHING, so didn't rally pay attention to the fact that the pot was almost empty. So thankfully i {heart] papers came to the rescue!!!! my new pink shimmerz will be here the first of next week - phew....... what relief..... I was almost in panic mode!!! grins! doesn't take much to keep me happy, but what does is usually pink and shiny! giggles! The pink trim is from Webster's Pages. The little leaves are from some May Arts leaf ribbon. a few buttons & baby primas with distressed stickles in the centers complete the card.

Enjoy your day! Talk to you soon!

It's A Beary Dust Christmas! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

The most talented Sue Spiller of Beary Dust has asked me to do some design work for her! Boy, am I one thrilled chica over here!!! So I used some of her fun digi stamps to make some Christmas projects for my Secret Sister. That is one of the great thing about digis - you can make them whatever size you need for that particular project. so stinkin' cool!!! Be sure to head over to Sue's blog and become one of her followers! Tell her I sent you over and she'll get a kick outta that! actually, tell her I sent you for some coffee - she will giggle! :) She is also debuting as a designer with Squigglefly tomorrow!!! yipppeeeee Sue!!! hooray for you, girlfriend!!!!

The gift tags were easy peasy to print out on the compy. Once you insert the photo into your document, format the photo for a text document that wraps around the picture. Then you can choose your font and go from there. There are some really fun fonts for free on the internet. One of my faves for the holidays is called 'Santa's Sleigh'. The paper is from Making Memories. flowers and leaves are from Prima. the gingies are painted with shimmerz for some sparkly shine. the cute holly buttons are from a Christmas assortment I picked up at Michael's.

The ornament was a ton of fun to make! Again, the polka dot paper is Making Memories. the blue paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. The big felt snowflake is a glitter sticker. I applied frosted stickles to the papers to give some glitz. The hat band on the snowman is painted with royal red shimmerz. The pattern is from SCS. You actually get 2 from each 8 1/2" x 11 piece of paper. I recommend printing on the wrong side of cs. This one is filled with a fun variety of ribbons for my SS. I hope she likes them! :)

See you tomorrow! Have a great weekend! :)

In the Meadow We Can Build A Snowman

A new challenge has begun over at IldiCo! Pick a Christmas song to use as an inspiration for your creation, and then link your project to the challenge blog.

I decided to use the line from the song, 'Winter Wonderland', for my card. I love this new digi that happens to be a freebie today over at SNR!!! and while you are there, tonight is a great Digi Event with chatting, prizes, and fun from 8-10pm CST, so come join us!

My card uses Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers. The bow on the snowman's hat is painted with royal red shimmerz. I added some chunky glitter for snow to the ground and the snowman. The bear was stippled with several colors of ink to add extra dimension to his fur. The trim is by Prima. isn't that stuff beautiful? love it!!!! I added a few polka dots to the scarf with my white gel pen.

hope to see you tonight over at SNR!! :)

A Vintage Coffee Grinder

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin spice (hubby bought almost all they had yesterday, so there won't be much left for long!)

Wanted to show you a card I started out making for last week's color challenge at DZ Doodles, but didn't get done in time because of being sick. Went ahead and finished it up anyhow this week and will try to get a card made for the current challenge. Check our the freebie image Diane is giving away. A new one will be up tomorrow, so hurry over to the site.

I used the new Basic Grey Nook and Pantry papers. The color challenge was to use light blue, dark blue, and yellow on your creation. My blues are a bit more teal-ish, but I just loved these papers with the image. Added a few fun buttons and some vintage seam tape. The borders were punched with my Fiskars apron border punch - a new to me purchase. love the look of this!!! The main image is popped up on foam tape. easy peasy pumpkin pie, but a neato card nonetheless.

Now for a completely off topic mention - some of you know that I am about as nerdy geeky as can be. My fave show to watch, 'must see t.v.' that the whole fam gathers around for EVERY week, no fail, is Big Bang Theory. We love Star Trek - all versions, when we get bored, play 'name that alien species from the ST series' (believe me - that can go on for hours!! grins!). I am enamoured with X-Men and can tell you about many of the characters and their histories. well, the list could just go on and on. (but I do draw the line at going to conventions - go figure) One of the weekly emails I get is from a site called 'How That Works'. The one this week was super cool! and both Tyler and I were able to figure out most of the gadgets. Check out this article, "Top 10 Star Trek Technologies that Actually Came True" . Just too neat to pass up!!! And while I am at it, I may as well post this one, too. We cracked up that there are actual directions and a website. We first heard about this extension on Big Bang - Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock. Check out the episode and then check out the directions. don't forget, as it always has, rock crushes scissors!

Button Bugs are invading! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca

Welcome to the new release blog hop for Angel's Landing!!! Once again I have been blessed to be asked by Judi to be a part of this fabby hop! I am so excited!!! :) Two new sets of digi images are being released this month - Polar Bear Cubs and Button Bugs.

If you have arrived here from *Cheryl's fabby blog*, you are cruising right along. If at any point you get off track during the hop, just head back over to *Judi's blog* and she will get you fixed right up.

Want to give you a bit of background on my projects for today. I am using images from the cute set, Button Bugs. I received an email a few weeks ago from Cath, the editor over at PaperCrafts Magazine. They are creating a Christmas tree to donate to the Festival of Trees, which benefits the Primary Children's Medical Center in Utah. In addition to the Christmas tree, some of the crafters who have contributed to the magazine have been asked to create cards which will be auctioned to also raise money for the hospital. I decided to use these wonderful images from Judi and Angel's Landing for my gift set. In addition to the cards, I have made a card storage box. I hope that the recipient enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it! :)

The items were all created with the beautiful Prima papers and flowers. The large harlequin paper is actually a glitter paper - oh so fabby-licious! The adorable little bugs were painted with shimmerz glitter paints. Each 'trail' was highlighted with my spica glitter pen. Various trims and buttons have also been added. The letters on the box are also by Prima. They are covered in the most delightful chunky glitter! super fun!

Your next stop on this marvy tour is *Cindy's amazing blog*, so be sure to hop hop hop on over to see what wonderful things she has created! You may also join in the fun chats going on over at PCP and SNR all day long!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

A Vintage Guest DT Dream Come True!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

One of my dreams came true the day that Cora from Digital Two for Tuesday told me that I would be one of her Guest Designers!!! Boy, you coulda heard the yippppeeee clear over in the Netherlands I was so thrilled!!! I happened upon this amazing site about a month ago and have been addicted ever since. You know my love for all things vintage, and this wonderful lady offers FREE vintage digis every week! Guest designers spotlight the images, and she has graciously allowed ME to be one of the chosen ones!!! what an honor for this humble papercrafter I tell you what.....

For the 'football' card, I watercolored the image using my inks and watercolor brushes. I then used my ink squirty tool (I can never remember the official term for that thing! grins!!) to help give an older feel to the piece. I took a piece of Making Memories paper and aged it by first crinkling it and then rubbing my ink pad over the top. the edges were torn and inked as well. I added some wonderful embellies from the MM vintage findings line - cloth tag, 'wish' coupon, button tied with twine and then attached to wide grosgrain ribbon, & school paper stapled to corner. the main image was popped up on foam tape for added dimension. the edges of the card base were inked with vanilla craft.

On the 'brother and me' card, I used this beautiful paper by Webster's Pages, Terri Conrad collection. the edges of it were covered in brown glitter glue. The digi image was colored with inks and watercolor brushes. the girl's headband and collar were painted as well with pink shimmerz. this pieces was cut out and popped up on extra thick foam tape for added dimension. I used a wonderful circle paper doilie and velvet ric rack trim from JoAnn's to frame the digi. Vintage buttons from my stash helped to complete the look. A velvet leaf from Prima and velvet flower from Making Memories finish off the card. I kept the sentiment fairly generic so that it could be used for a thinking of you, Mother's Day, card for my hubby to send to one of his sisters, or whatever other occassion might happen to arise in the future!

Have a most glorrious day! love to you all!

Jennifer

A Whimsical Take-out Box for my Secret Sis! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Sorry that my post for the Whimsy Stamps Challenge is running late today, but I pretty much spent my whole weekend in bed sleeping. I have been reallllllllly sick lately. haven't done any crafting to speak of, so have LOTS to get caught up on. hence my late post for the day. anywho - the challenge for this week at Whimsy is to create a non-card project. I have something special for my Secret Sister (shhhhh...... can't tell you what is tucked inside, but it is something yummy for the belly she will adore!! grins!!!) so made a cute little chinese take-out box all decorated for fall.

I used the cute Whimsy Fall Raccoons for the box. the papers are Making Memories. added some fun buttons and Prima flowers with rhinestone centers. tied a bunch of neat ribbons to the wire handle to add a festive touch and the box is ready for gift giving!

Join the challenge this week! and be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created! there are some really neat things being shown! :)

see you tomorrow!

Friends of Faith Blog Hop!!!! Our God is SOOOOO Awesome!!! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice of course! :)

Welcome to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's A Faith Perspective Thankful for Friends Faith Blog Hop. Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. We're celebrating the theme of friends and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Eccl 4:9-10a

If you're just joining in on the fun, you can find the start of the train here. If you have arrived from the fabby blog of *KAREN* then you are in the right spot! :)

First, we would like to take a moment to thank our generous co-sponsors: Layers of Color Stamps, Gina K Designs Stamps and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Together with Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today's blog hop.

Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today's event.

To enter, simply hop to the blogs of all of the participating staff members of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, take note of the staff member's name, and leave a comment on their posts. Then send us an email at
games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today's hop. It's that easy. All entries must be received by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12 noon, EST and three winners will be randomly chosen to win.
What are the prizes?

*One $100 gift certificate from Layers of Color Stamps AND a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
*One basket of goodies -- four stamp sets from Gina K Designs and a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.
*One set of digital stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

In addition, every participating staff member of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will offer a free one-month subscription to the magazine to one of their lucky visitors by simply leaving a comment on their blog. That's a lot of chances to win, so let's get to the Hop!

I know how much my friends mean to me and how precious are those times we spend together. Many of those times seem to be spent over coffee, yeah, I know most of you are in shock. grins and giggles! but really, it is the conversations and the fellowship with these beautiful people that means more to me than the coffee. REALLY! :) and I have been told that one of my spiritual gifts is that of encouragement. I think because I have been through so much in my life, especially my battle with depression, I don't want to see other people suffer the way I did. And so I want to always try to fill people with hope, especially the hope that comes from knowing God in the most personal way. He is such a huge part of my life that I can't help but talk about Him to people and share about all that He does for me.

So this wonderful image from IldiCo seemed like the perfect one to use for a card to send to a friend when thinking of what to make for this blog hop. I have several friends going through some tough times right now. We all have them. We can't escape them. But no where is it said that we have to go through them alone. God brings friends into our lives for a reason. One of my favorite musical groups EVER is Jars of Clay. Honest to goodness, this one CD of theirs, Who We are Instead, I have gone through TWICE!!! and I am gonna have to go buy another one it looks like..... one of the songs on it is titled, "I'm In the Way". They lyrics are so very poignant. They are short, so I will post them here.

You sit and stare out at the sky/And think of ways to fake a smile.

But life is never what it seems/ Sometimes it only takes a while.

I'm in the way of fallin' down/ I won't let you go that far now.

If you think that hope was left behind/ I picked it up a mile ago.

And I am running close behind/ So don't give up and don't let go.

For my friends, I am here for you. You are not alone. Hope is in your hands. You may not see it, you may not feel it, but it is there nonetheless. And God will never ever leave you. He can't. He doesn't do that to His children. And He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. so do I. :)

so now on to the wonderful blog of *DANIELLE*!!!! and thank you for hopping along with us! have a marvy weekend!

A Yummy Gingerbread Girl

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

I made this card with the cute new digi from Digital Delights by Louby Lou. Isn't she just the cutest little thing? She is covered in shimmerz and stickles to give her a bit more shine and sparkle. The paper is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. I also used my spica glitter pen to add some extra touches on the card - some dots by the scallops of the trim on the right side of the card, outlined the main image rectangle, and outlining of the left side of the card.

thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers about my health. all of you mean so very much to me! you are just the best! I am still resting as much as I can and not getting much else done, but that is okay, too. I have more drs. visits for next week, so we will see how those go.

Everyone have a great weekend! love to you all! :)

From Me to YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Almond Roca


Sorry for the lateness of the post and to have been missing for a day or so. I haven't been feeling so great lately, so haven't been able to do much crafting. Have had some setbacks with my health and we are in the process of trying to get things all straightened out, but so far no luck. yucky poo icky blech! :( I really don't like not feeling well - but guess no one does. we're trying to avoid the i.v. meds - I soooooo don't want to go that route. anyway, enough of that mess. trying to rest as much as I can.


on to my card with these great new images from The Rusty Pickle! I love the cuteness and sweetness of this one. just makes me say "awwwww....." everytime I see it. Paired it with papers from both K & Co. Wild Raspberry and Basic Grey Dasher. The snowman is covered in clear glitter glue and the ground in chunky glitter. Added this fun felt snowflake glitter sticker along with baby buttons and trims from Webster's Pages. Thought the snowman would look so adorable with some bright pink cheeks.


Have a wonderful evening, and I will check in with you later! love to you all!
Jennifer

p.s. there is a Grand Opening drawing for 5 free digis going on until Nov. 15 on the website! hurry over to get your name in the drawing! :)

Are you the Cat or the Fish?

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Good morning! This is my first post as a member of the Whimsy Stamps Challenge DT! How exciting!!! Denise, the owner of the company, was so kind and sent me some stamped images to play with until my stamps arrive. The challenge this week is to use watercoloring on your creation. No prob for me, since that is how I have been doing all of my coloring as of late.


I chose this cute cat with fishbowl for my card. I immediately was thinking of a twist on the old saying, "some days you are the cat, some days you are the fish." So with that in mind, I created my sentiment. The cat was covered with several shades of ink and then stippled with vanilla craft and brown to help give a bit more definition. The technique for the fish bowl I came upon accidentally. I had covered the whole bowl with crystal effects that was taking forever to dry. I decided to give it a quick shot with my heat fun from below the cardstock, when it started to bubble from overheating. I thought this would make a cool look to the bowl, so just continued heating for a few more seconds.

Paper is from Michael's Recollection series. trim is from JoAnn's, buttons are from both my vintage stash and Making Memories.

Have a great Monday! and no matter how your day is going, remember that you are not alone. Cat or fish, God is there! and me, too! love ya!
Jennifer

A Color Challenge from DZ Doodles

Wanted to post my card for the color challenge over at DZ Doodles - use pink, red, and brown. I am also using this beautiful freebie image that Diane has so graciously offered on the blog.

I added stickles to the image to imitate snow. also some in the center of the Prima poinsettia. added these precious little vintage buttons as corner accents as well as on the vintage trim bow. Not a lot of brown, there is more on the pinecones that shows in the scan, but heavy on the pink and red. I masked the flourish on the ornament for a bit more flair and then painted it with pink shimmerz. Oh yes, papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses and Dasher.

A new challenge starts tomorrow, so be sure to play along. :)

Snowman in Plaid

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

Thanks to a reminder on a blog that I visit, I realized I need to get a jump on my Christmas cards! So this cute snowman from Doodle Beans fit the bill quite nicely! I have been wanting to get him all inky, and this seemed like the perfect day....... maybe 'cause I'm longing for snow and it is supposed to get up into the 70's today. gorgeous - don't get me wrong, but I am ready for winter. the trees here are all bare, so it just seems like we need the snow. :)

I used papers from Basic Grey Dasher, added some neato trim from JoAnn's, a beautiful stacked poinsettia and holly leaf from Prima, and ta da! card is done! of course he needed a bit of sparkle, so I added some shimmerz on his mittens, coal buttons, snowflakes, and holly leaves. I used my white gel pen to make a few polka dots on his scarf - he needed something fun around his neck to keep him cozy! :) Chunky glitter snow completes the image.

Have a wonderful day! We have the windows open all through the house, and it is really quite glorious! :)

Hot Chocolate Holder with a cutie bear!

Another card to show you using a fun image from IldiCo. I thought it would be fun to paper piece the coffee mug with this adorable little guy, so went looking through my papers for one that would work. Lo and behold, Basic Grey to the rescue! These fun new papers are from the Nook & Pantry collection. Paper piecing digis is so easy to do - don't let them intimidate you.

You will see the open and closed version of the hot choco holder here. The paper on the front covers the staple backs, always important if you can help it. Added in some fun brads and ric rack trim. Pretty easy peasy for a fun little giftie! the whipped cream topping is the white flower soft I have had fun playing with! yep, using it again! it just seemed perfect. stippled the bear again to give him a bit more depth. As you can see, the thin dec. paper piece on the far right side is actually on the inside of the card.

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Another little card for Jaimie

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Wanted to make another card for Jaimie, and when I saw this cutie from IldiCo., I knew it would be perfect. (for more info about cards for Jaimie, head to Stamp Something...For Jaimie or see my post below for Monday) I kept trying to remember that this card was for a 11 year old girl, so it is a bit different from my others. wanted it to be fun and full of smiles. (gosh, that makes it sound as if all of my cards are grumpy depressing ones!)

Anyhow, today is the release day for this new line by IldiCo called SnoPals. these precious snowmen and women are seen doing all kinds of fun activities! go check them out if you can. there is also a blog hop with them in conjunction with The Stamping Boutique and Sunshine Stamps going on today. It starts here if you would like to hop along and have a chance to win some cool prizes!

I used papers from the Basic Grey Figgy collection. The snowman is covered in stickles and then a bit of chunky glitter. The chunky glitter also covers the bottom left portion of the main image. I added in some clear dew drops for added fun. The great trim is by Webster's Pages and a few little buttons sit in the corner. I sure hope she likes it.

Have a great weekend, and I'll be back to post more later! :)

A Rusty Santa...

I wanted to show you this fun new digi from The Rusty Pickle. Isn't he just wonderful?! I love the rustic look to him.


The papers are not even Christmas ones, which goes to show you that you can use lots of different kinds of papers for the holidays, just dress them up a bit with your images and embellies. Same goes in reverse for the holiday papers. Try it out sometime and see how neat it feels to put a neat twist on your creation!


These papers are from the Basic Grey June Bug collection. The beautiful poinsettia and leaf are Primas. The garland I found at Pat Catan's several years ago, and ahem...... forgot I had. (shhhhhhh...... you can NOT tell David 'cause he would have fits thinking I had stuff in my stamping room that was LOST! grins!!) I tell him all the time that "there is a great bit of organization in this stuff you call clutter." I didn't tighten up the scan so you could see the full impact of the bow. when I tried cropping, the bow just got lost - thus the larger scan. There are frosted stickles along the mittens, coat front, and hat. A tiny bit brushed along the ground gives the feeling of a light coating of snow. The card base was edged in 2 shades of ink to help give the more rustic feel.

Happy Weekend to you! Jennifer

A Frothy Cup of Coffee with a Friend!

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut

Good morning! It is a Freebie Friday over at Digital Delights by Louby Lou, and I was privilged enough to get a sneaky peek!!! This is such an adorable digi! Even Tyler said "awwww... how cute!" when he saw it! :)

I decided to use the sketch provided in the challenge over at Delightful Sketches. My papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry. I added some white floral soft to the frothy part of the coffee - yep, we all knew it would happen just as soon as I used it for the first time! now I can't stop! :) Put on a few little buttons, this beautiful bow tied with some of the silk ribbon I won at I {heart} papers, tossed a baby Prima on the sentiment tag, and we were ready to go! Both the Prima flower and the coffee cup flower have little beads in their centers. The petals of the coffee cup flower were also painted with pink shimmerz. I am thinking that this is the perfect holder for a Starbuck's gift card....... grins! now to find someone who likes coffee.......... maybe YOU?!?!

Grab this cute freebie while you can and play in the sketch challenge, too!

Have a happy Friday! :)
Jennifer

A Beautiful Holly Fairy that shines!

This is quick 'cause Ryan really really really wants to get on the compy, and I have to get this uploaded for a challenge that ends at 5pm!!!! ack! Actually using it for 2 challenges - 1 over at Sweet n Sassy for the challenge to use holly on your creation. 2 for Mo's Digital Pencil to use 3 sparkly shiny things on your project.

I added lots of shimmerz to her dress and holly wings, put stickles on the snow in the globe as well as on the church roof, and of course the holly leaves (Prima) and glitter button. snowglobe is also covered in crystal effects. paper is Basic Grey Figgy. sorry to be quick, but he REALLY wants on! :)

Coffee with a Cuddly Bear

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice


Today is a brand new challenge over at IldiCo. and my first challenge as a Guest DT member! woooo hooooooo! So of course I had to use the cutie coffee bear (1 of 2 of them ..... maybe you will see the other in days to come?!?! hmmmmmmmm....... gotta check back! grins!) I mean how else would I start my inaugural adventure with them than with a coffee card?! :)


Kept the card fairly simple, but modified the sketch a tad - flipped it over on its side and scooched the circle elements closer together. The papers I used are from the Jenni Bowlin mini pack, Red/Black Line Extension. used my stitching stamp across the edge where they join. The Starbucks' circles actually come from the bags they use to hold cookies, scones, etc. I punched them out and saved them for a future project - TA DA!!! the trim is one of my remnant finds, the mat of the main image is distressed, and the buttons were added right below a cute sentiment I use ALL the time 'cause I love it so!

wanted to fill you in a bit about how I colored our bear friend - did my usual watercoloring, but then took 2 different shades of ink and a dry watercolor brush to stipple ink over the bear. this helps to give him a furry look with more dimension. just a little tip for something fun to do! The card base is more of my coffee paper. I think it is my last sheet, so it's time to make some more! :) Dave really likes this card so I think it's heading with him to work........ :) gotta keep MY honey bear happy, too!


have a great day! love ya!
Jennifer

A Soft and Fluffy Cheers! :)

Once again here I am sliding in to get a challenge card posted right before the deadline. :) With this one I kept putting it off 'cause I was INTIMIDATED by the challenge twist over at Shirleys 2 Girls - use something soft like flocking or flower soft on your card. everyone kept crying for help on the forum, and I grew more and more scared as the days passed. Mind you I can sit and watch all of the Saw movies and laugh and laugh at them with my middle son, but the idea of trying my flower soft for the first time had me in fits. But I overcame............. yes, I did it. Held my breath and jumped right in! It was much easier to use than I thought, and I will gladly pick up those round containers of fluff again in future days!

As soon as I grabbed my Basic Grey Wassail papers, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. That great chair in this fun digi was screaming at me - PAPER PIECE ME!!!!!! Well, not being one to deny my papers or embellies EVER, I whole heartedly responded, "SURE !" :) but once I started printing on the fun paper I couldn't stop. So look at how much of this cutie got pieced! almost the whole ever lovin' thing! Glorious, isn't it?! I want a chair just like this one, and an outfit just like hers, too! the slippers are so close to my pink fluffs that Dave so kindly bought me, but if Santa felt the need to get me some just like these, oh no, I would not complain! :D grins! Added the white flower soft to the hat's brim and pom pom in addition to the slippers' pom pom. It should be a crafting law that all pom poms must be 'fluffed'. kinda like all things pink need sparkles. 'nuff said! :D Added this gorgeous trim from Webster's Pages that makes you wanna rub it up against your cheek, it is so soft and cuddly velvet. The poinsettias flowers and leaf are from Prima.

Thanks for putting up with my rambling......... time for me to grab my book and head to bed! See ya in the morning! Don't let the bedbugs bite! unless of course you bite back! :)

A Pretty Posy for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti (p.s. the holiday creamers are out at the stores now - eggnog, peppermint mocha, etc. !!!! grab them while you can!)

A pretty Posy for you, courtesy of Kraftin' Kimmie! isn't she just precious?!?! I have all of the first release girls, and now need to work on getting the new ones that just came out. Santa, oh Santa, are you listening???? I have not been so good all the time, but I will try REALLLLLLLLLLY hard the rest of the year...... month...... okay, the rest of the week to be the best I can! I promise!! grins! :D Kimmie is also doing a call-out for Guest Designers. man oh man, that would be a dream come true, but my work pales in comparison to so many out there. So I will submit my humble little creations and cross my fingies tight, but just keep on keepin' on in my happy little style 'cause that is what I have gotta do! :)

My card is for the challenge this week, to use a tag. I incorporated these fabby new papers from Basic Grey - Nook and Pantry. Added some teeny tiny buttons on her dress, some neat trims (the flower trim is May Arts from my wonderful prize pack the other day over at I {heart} papers) and these gorgeous Prima flowers I layered. leaves are punched with a Martha Stewart punch. Her barrettes, flower centers, tights, and scarf have all been painted with pink shimmerz. the main image was outlined with olive green glitter glue by Studio G. I think I really like Stickles best - they seem to have more glitter, but I will use these up since I got 'em! :)

Have a great day! More goodies to come later in the week! Love to you all!

Jennifer

Just a Girl in the Garden....

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Happy day to you! Hope it is truly glorious wherever in this big wide world you happen to be! :)

Wanted to show you the other happy card I made the other day - in my vintage style I love so very much. Used an image from ETC., an Etsy company that is truly faboo in my book! Owned by the amazing Julia Stainton, Becky Olsen, and Lisa Strahl. These women are each so talented on their own, but when you put them all together it is like an volcano of creativeness just erupting form the ground!!!! glorious indeed!!!! Here is a link to their blog so you can check it out.

Off to my card ~

I pulled out my new to me K & Co. papers, Classic K Charlotte. The border was so pretty that I didn't want to cover it up, so I made sure to offset the main image. Stamped a tag, added some fun vintage seam tape in a skrunchy kind of bow, and adhered it over this beauiful trim remnant I found at Wally World of all places. tossed on some vintage buttons from my wonderful Etsy stash and the card is done! oh yes, used that infamous ink squirty tool over both the tag and main image, which were also popped up on foam tape.

Don't forget to send a card to Jaimie if you can. It sure will mean a lot to her! and link it back to the main blog, Stamp Something... For Jaimie, for a chance to win a prize.

have a great day! :) love ya!

Jennifer