The Story of Jonah video

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (perfect way to finish off the year!)

David sent me this link that I had to race over to share with all of you! This is one of the most precious things I have seen in a long time. Not only is this young girl adorable, but her passion for the story is so contagious. I found myself both smiling and crying at the same time as I listened to this messenger God sent........ May you be as blessed as I was.

The Story of Jonah video

Enjoying the Days.....

Coffee of the Day - Marzipan

Hello to all of you! I hope you had a most beautiful holiday - full of love, good cheer, laughs, and memories to keep your heart full of smiles! :) Ours was quiet, well, with the exception of the game systems going non-stop and the laughter that went along with it, but you know what I mean. It was glorious, truly glorious, to have everyone together! :)


Thought I would give just a little update on what is going on and what to expect with my crafty blogging.......


Still recuperating from a pretty nasty time of it. oh well, life has ups and downs. we must accept that the valleys will come, put on our muck boots, and just walk right on through them. so I am hopefully coming out of it all and will be back to crafting again soon. at least I hope so! ;) my butons and ribbons are calling out to me every day, so I am anxious to get back to playing with them! grins!

Santa blessed with me with a few crafting magazines in my stocking. how delightful to see some of my friends in publication! kudos to you! a big shout out to Dru at Garden of Dreams! I have always admired her way with vintage, so it was a thrill to see her card published. Makes me think I might get back to sending things in to try again, but we shall see. I am just so proud of those who DO get accepted. way to go! :)


as for DT work, you will probably notice that I have cut way back. Some I stepped away from, some I was removed from, some the time was up. Right now I remain with Shady Tree Studios. I have to say over and over again that I have loved every team I have ever been on. There have been so many amazing people I have met over the years and of course wonderful companies to be associated with. I appreciate so much the people who took a chance on me.


I hope to keep trying new techniques over the upcoming year. I have seen such fun things featured that I am anxious to try! I would love to work on more scrapbook pages. Perhaps a few more altered projects as well....... who knows what might end up on these blog pages in the new year?! maybe even that dreaded sewing machine will get pulled out of the attic........ giggles!


I guess that more than anything I want to stay true to who I am, but keep refining my style. I don't ever want to lose sight of myself in my crafting and get caught up again in trying to 'keep up' with everyone else. I can't afford it, but I think I lose a part of who I am when I do that.


So for those of you who would like to hang around for this journey, grab a cuppa! I so love and appreciate you! I will give my blog a new look again right after New Year's Day, but until then, I do love the look of this bg! :) For those of you who decide to choose a different road, it has been a great time having you around and I thank you for your visit for a while! You have all, in whatever degree you have stopped by, made my life a bit brighter. and for that I thank you deeply! :)

Until next time.... Jennifer

A Beautiful Merry Christmas to You!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint



Just wanted to take a moment to wish you and yours a most beautiful Christmas Day! May you rejoice in the celebration of the birth of our precious Saviour, Jesus, and the gift He so lovingly brings to us all. May you know that every day God looks at you with love and sees a person of great beauty and worth! You are important to Him! :)

Shady Tree Studios Winners!

Sorry for the delay, but I have decided to give away TWO sets since I have taken so long to get winners announced in the Shady Tree Studios new release blog candy!

Crafty Mom of 2 (Meredith) and

youiesmom (Babe)

who both happen to be members of the STS group over at PCP, are the winners! woooo hoooooo!

send me your mailing info at jenscull@yahoo.com and I will get these out to you right after the holiday! congrats ladies!

and thanks to everyone who left such kind and wonderful comments over the new release time! they sure meant a lot to me! :)

Delay on Shady Tree Studios Drawing....

I am so sorry for the delay in drawing for the prize winner of the wonderful stamp set from Shady Tree Studios. I have been in bed really sick for several days and will get right to this as soon as I am up and about again......
until then, stay warm and enjoy the holiday prep time with your friends and families! :)

Shady Tree Studio Release Day!!! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Woooo hooooo! The big day is here!!!!! The December releases from Shady Tree Studio are all ready for your crafty hands to start playing and creating! Hop on over to the store to grab a few of these cuties and then stop by the other DT members' blogs to see what else they have to inspire you! You know you are gonna have your socks blown off! :)

For today's card I am using the fun 6" x 8" set, "Groovy Kind of Love". I flipped over this one just as soon as I saw it! these big puffy letters took me back to Jr. High when I would spend my days doodling on my book covers, notebooks, page margins..... whatever I could find. guess High School wasn't really any different now that I think about it. and even though I was an adult..... (ahem..... now all of you snickering out there just hush up!)......when gel pens came out, I had to have them in all of the colors, especially the glitter ones.

So it was easy peasy to come up with a plan for what to make with this fun set. I grabbed one of the fun journal cards from Jenni Bowlin and pretended I was back in school doodling away...... then once I finished coloring, I grabbed my glitter gel pens and did add a extra little doodles of my own! do you ever doodle? I seem to always draw the same things over and over again - hearts, flowers, stars, and swirlies. that probably says something about me. not even gonna go there as to the 'what'!!! ;)

I added a strip of Basic Grey Lime Rickey paper, some fun felt Primas, vintage lime green buttons, and a baby clip tied with the same hot pink satin ribbon used along the side. it just seemed perfect to use the SU! punch along the top of the card as if I had just torn this from my little notebook to pass to a friend between classes!

Now don't forget to leave a comment on this or any of the Shady Tree Studios new release posts for a chance to win your very own "Sweet Romance" set. you must leave a comment by tonight at midnight, as I will post a winner first thing tomorrow morning, along with one more sample from this fun release! If you are a member of our STS group over at PCP, you will have double the entries! just be sure to let me know in the comment section. Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

• edited to add - I am giving everyone some extra time to get those comments in. I will draw the winner for the "Sweet Romance" set on Sunday evening and post on Monday. so you have a few more days to leave a comment for your chance at a free stamp set! :)

Shady Tree Sneakies, Day 2!

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Back again with a preview of stamps from another fab set from Shady Tree Studios! This set is "Elegant Valentine". Such a beautiful mix of heartfelt sentiments and gorgeous images!

I chose to go with the heart shaped candy box, using the cracked glass tecnhinque after coloring. The bow was painted with pink shimmerz prior to covering with ep. the glittery shine comes through so well! it almost seems to jump out of the little square! :) once I finished 'cracking', I sponged caramel ink over the piece to help distress it. I love the way the ink gets down into the little cracks! the tag was made with a page from a french book, doily sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist, a pink tag, some wired ribbon & tea stained twine, Prima flowers, and vintage buttons. I used my SU! ink squirty tool to add a bit more age to the tag. The beautiful papers are by Prima. The cute little watch is from Making Memories. The ribbon tied at its top is another little coffee stained bit I played around with one day while whipping up a big batch of coffee stained ribbons and trims. 'With Love' is just one of the sentiments in the "Elegant Valentine" set. if you look carefully along each side of the card base, you will see a lovely border that was stamped ever so lightly. this is a fabbylicious stamp from this set that I just could NOT wait to play with somehow! :)

Don't forget that I am giving away one of the new sets, "Sweet Romance", as blog candy! Be sure to leave a comment on any of the STS posts through Thursday to get your name in the proverbial hat! :) in fact, if you are a member of our Shady Tree Studios group over at PCP and leave a comment, I will DOUBLE your number of entries into the hat! how's that for festive fun?! :) so go join now if you haven't already.........

and please please stop by the other members' blogs of this fantastic DT! they have created some of the most gorgeous projects using these new sets! Hope to see you tomorrow! :) love ya!

Day 1 of Shady Tree Sneaky Peeks! :)

Coffee of the Day - Maple Pecan

Good morning to you! after a few little compy glitches, caused I am sure by the enormous snow storms we are being battered with, I am up and running again! whew..... always seem to be doing computer work these days. but at least we haven't had to take it in for service and can do it all ourselves. hugey huge blessing!

anyhow, on to the good stuff!

I am here with the first day of Shady Tree Studios sneak peeks for the new release on Thursday! I will get straight to it without further adieu.....

I am using the precious new 6" x 8" set, Power of Love for my card today. I love all the little hearts that are part of this set! My Basic Grey Green at Heart papers seemed ideal for this, so out they came! after stamping my main heart image with Timber Brown staz-on, I did some free hand cutting. The little crochet flowers along the side came from a vintage bit of linen. All of the buttons are from my vintage collection. gosh, I love that big mason jar of goodness that sits on the shelves above my craft table! it makes me smile every time I look at it! :) The little pink ticket comes from Making Memories. because it is a heavily coated gloss surface, I used the same brown staz-on to distress as well as stamp a sentiment with the 'Love' stamp from the same Power of Love set. once it was crinkled & wrinkled, the white of the paper came through. pretty cool look! a little smidgen of pink rose trim with netting was stapled on with the tiny attacher. that baby never ever leaves my crafty table either! ;) of course all edges of the card and papers were distressed with sahara sand ink to help age.....

---> I am offering one of the new stamp sets up for blog candy and will do the drawing on Friday. everyone who leaves a comment on all sneak peek posts today thru Thursday will be entered into the random drawing!!! also, please stop by the blogs of the other DT members! I know you will be inspired by the wonderful things they have made! Hope to see you tomorrow! :)

Big Stuff coming this week from Shady Tree......

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Just wanted to give y'all a heads up ~

new releases at Shady Tree Studios on Thursday with sneaky peeks starting tomorrow! and there is going to be some blog candy here!!!! so check back each day & check the other DT members' blogs, too! you are in for a treat!!! Groovy baby! :)

We are welcoming Lisa Silver to the Shady Tree team, too! boy howdy, can that lady craft! with much sadness, Joan has decided to step back from the team and say her hoorahs from the sidelines..... please be sure to stop by her blog, Paperlicious, to let her know how much she will be missed.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

p.s. haven't been around in a week 'cause we had malware come visit...... not a fun holiday guest! took me several days to get the compy cleaned out and then it was time to head to Camp for a group there for 4 days. had a blast cooking and catching up with some old friends. snow is coming down like crazy! love every flake that falls! :)

We Three Kings

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Hello my blogging friends! Long time, no see! I am doing fine over here... just busy with my family and getting ready for the holidays like many of you. Have a few crafty changes going on as well, but it is good good so not to worry.

We are currently in the midst of a huge snowstorm here in northeast Ohio. we have over 1 1/2 feet of snow on the ground and more on the way. Schools were closed today and might be tomorrow, too. David and Ryan took the dogs out to Camp for lots of romping in the snow. I had the chance to finally do a bit of card making. it was glorious indeed! :) Haven't been able to see the road out our front window for all of the snow coming down, but the plows are doing a phenom job keeping the roads clear as best they can and people seem to be taking care, which is the most important thing.

Tyler finishes finals tomorrow and Mick next week. Ryan has quite a few performances with Free Harmony, the HS show choir, but then he will be done next week as well. One last group at Camp this week, and then we will settle in for lots of fun family time for Christmas!

My card uses a wonderful vintage set from Paulette over at Create with TLC. She offers so many great freebies, but then has these amazing sets where you 'name your price'. I used papers from the Basic Grey Jovial collection, Prima flowers and leaf, misc. trims & ribbons, and lots of walnut gold glimmer mist for a wonderful shine. also added some touches with my gold glitter gel pen.

Well, we are enjoying some tasty snow slushies...... cranberry grape for me, blueberry for Dave, and Ryan is having a combo of flavors. oh how I love snow slushies!!!

chat with you again soon! love you all! :)

A Wonderful Award!

A huge thank you to Lisa for kindly gifting me with this fun award! what a surprise! I had the honor of being on the A Day for Daisies DT with her. if you get the chance to stop by her blog, Land of EnCRAFTment, to check out her wonderful creations!

As a requirement of receiving the award, I need to do the following:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards.

So here are 8 things you might not know about me after all this time ~

1. I have a tattoo - a heart with a cross inside on my ankle
2. I am a big fan of The Big Bang Theory. we watch it every single week and have it on DVD, too. :) just call me a big geek!
3. also like to watch UFC. GSP is one of my faves. yep, it shocks most people to know I am a fan of the octagon!
4. Pink is my fave color in crafting. you will find it on almost every single project I make.
5. I'm the rare person who is not a chocoholic, unless you count white choco. I would much rather have a fruit type dessert or cheesecake. strange, I know.
6. I absolutely positively MUST read every day. this comes before crafting as a priority.
7. I also need to have trees and wildlife around me. I just love nature!
8. My all time fave movie ever is Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

now for the people I would like to pass this award along to: (yes, I went over 8 and not all of them are new to me......)

1. Holly - http://hogwildaboutstamping.blogspot.com/
2. Maria - http://joyfulstamper.blogspot.com/
3. Darlene - http://darscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
4. Stef - http://glitterbabegreetings.blogspot.com/
5. Heather - http://stampdetails.blogspot.com/
6. Nancy - http://shadytreestudio.blogspot.com/
7. Roxie - http://paperscaper.blogspot.com/
8. Michele - http://iamderby.blogspot.com/
9. Tracy - http://inky-doodles.blogspot.com/
10. Lisa - http://www.silverstamping.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, and your friends! I pray it holds a time of reflections upon all that our most precious Heavenly Father has blessed you with...... our lives overflow indeed!

My family is all together - I could not be more full of love & joy at any moment in my life. my heart is bursting with the goodness of my life. God is good - every day! :) and I thank Him!

Thank you for spending time....

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Pecan

Hello to all of you! I hope you are having the most glorious of days!

I have been spending some time with my family - enjoying the last day of Ryan's play on Saturday, a big day of shopping for Tyler after church before he headed back to school, a grand date day with David on Monday that included lunch out with our pastor and his wife, and Ryan's band banquet last night. oh, how I love to spend time with all of them! :) David and I also hand delivered some cards while we were out, and that was great fun as well.

So it is with a heart full of rich memories that I share my card with you. As I was a young girl, I spent many summers with my beautiful Aunt Alma, who passed away a few months ago. When I saw this image, 'Baking Muffins with Mom', in the new releases last week at A Day for Daisies, I knew I had to have it. it reminded me so much of the times I spent with my beloved aunt, baking in her kitchen. oh, could that woman cook! and she had the most gorgeous deep black hair. I come from Choctaw Indian descent, and she really had the amazing hair of our ancestors. So this card is in her honor. Thank you, Aunt Alma, for spending time with me! I love and miss you dearly!

Sentimental Sundays - childhood

Paper Sundaes - toppings (blue, punches, ribbon)

City Crafter - Little Children

My Version of CAS - Shady Tree Style....

I have been inspired by my fellow DT members over at Shady Tree Studios. They create some of the most beautiful CAS projects imaginable. well you know that my cards and things are chock full of stuff - embellies, ribbons, buttons, trims and the like. CAS is soooooooooooo not me! but I decided to venture way way way out of my comfort zone and attempt a CAS card after seeing so many of their pretty cards. I do this about once a year, so don't hold your breath waiting on another one! grins! but I am kinda pleased with how this one turned out.......

I was rummaging around a few days ago looking for a certain embellie when I came across this package of crochet frames from K & Co that I had never opened. I am certain I am not the only one to have a FEW goodies like that tucked away. ;) well I put it aside to be sure to use it in an upcoming project. lo and behold this gorgeous sunflower from the STS set, Come to Me Autumn was the perfect fit! I stamped it onto kraft, watercolored as usual, and then masked the frame before spraying with walnut gold glimmer mist to add a wonderful sparkle shine irl. the paper is from the Basic Grey Pyrus collection. a simple gold satin ribbon and vintage button is all it took to finish. I didn't add a sentiment on purpose, because I don't know how or for what occasion I will be sending this.

So I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone with a project of some sorts. you might find yourself surprised at the results! :)

Happy for our Libraries!

Coffee of the Day - Maple Pecan

Good morning everyone! I hope your weekend is starting off beautifully! It is a gorgeous one here - temps in the 40's, clear skies, sun peeking through the clouds, kittens chasing leaves that blow across the driveway...... truly enough to make your heart smile!

I would like to share a card with you that I have made for our local library as a way to say thank you for all that they do. We recently had a huge tax levy on the ballots for our county. thankfully it passed, as our libraries are crucial in my opinion. I don't think a week goes by that we aren't there checking out books, movies, or CD's. I made this card to fit into a legal sized envie - large enough so that everyone in our family could jot a note of thanks. The image, Avid Reader, is by Cheryl Alger for Squigglefly. oh, I so remember the days of lying in that same exact position, caught up in the magic of a book. I am still that way. I MUST read every day. I probably go through 3 or 4 books a week. and thankfully everyone in our family reads as well.

Papers are from the Cosmo Cricket Togetherness collection. lots of little buttons were added, as was an actual library card. remember those?! grins! a little netting bow and homemade flower finish it off. can't wait to drop this off later today.

• Sassy Cheryl - use tulle or ribbon

A few fun cards....

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Hello! I am slowly getting caught up on my crafting projects. just one or two more and I can play to my heart's content! I have actually printed off a few 'play' images in anticipation, but they are all 'play' imo! ;)

First card up uses a fun little guy and sentiment set from Create with TLC. Paired him with some of my all time fave Basic Grey papers - Indian Summer. these colors are just magnificent and the patterns so true to nature in many ways. I love them! the main image and sentiment were sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist to add a bit of age and shimmer shine! gotta love that! ;) a few vintage buttons, crochet trim, & fabby Making Memories glitter leaf finish off the festive Thanksgiving card.

Next is a creation using the beautiful free image I mentioned in yesterday's post offered by Tammy at A Day for Daisies. if you join either of her groups at SSC or CDAC or sign up for her newsletter, this is the image that you will receive. isn't she stunning? I couldn't wait to make something with her! Gorgeous papers from Webster's Pages, little touches of glitz from shimmerz paints & spica glitter pens, a most fabby-licious frosted Prima rose, and of course trims make this a card I hope some lady would love to receive. just need to pop it in the mail to some special someone who needs a little pick me up........ BEs ure to check out the new releases in the store, too. for today only, they are 20% off!

Have a wonderful day, beautful lady! :)

Break a Leg, Ryan! :)

I wanted to quickly post this card before it gets delivered to Ryan up at the school in just a bit...... tonight is the grand opening of the play he is in. last night was the 'soft' opening so to speak, but tonight is the grand-daddy of them all!

I was printing off a bunch of digis earlier and came across this one from Tammy at A Day for Daisies. it is PERFECT for Ryan tonight - he plays the Best Man in the wedding. This digi is aptly called, 'Best Little Man', so I couldn't resist making him a congrats/break a leg/so proud of you card for tonight. we'll be dropping off dinner to him in just a little while, so thought David could ever so quietly slide this in the bag for him to open when he finds it.

The papers are Basic Grey Jovial, so even though they are Christmas in theme, I loved the way they went with the image. Kept it pretty simple since it is afterall going to a guy!

While I am thinking about it, new subscribers to the ADFD newsletter as well as new members to both the CDAC and SSC groups will receive a beautiful image Tammy has drawn especially for you! Head over to the blog to get a looksie and for more info. :)

A New Addition to the Baby Bud Family! :)

Coffee of the Day - Maple Vanilla

I would love to take this opportunity to introduce you to the latest member of the Baby Bud Designs cutie family, Noelle! she just makes me smile with her precious little boots and adorable winter hat!

Unfortunately I am a few days late with my release project since being sick, so please check the BBD blog for the other DT members' creations. Every one is a treat indeed!

I have made this card for one of my fave people, who happens to look just like a Baby Bud! Jocelyn, close your eyes for this post, sweetie, 'cause it's coming to you in the mail! She loves all things purple, so I paired Noelle with the beautiful papers from the Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather collection. in order to get the beige portions on the card with my watercoloring, I took a dry brush to the SU! vanilla craft ink. works like a charm! that also gave me the chance to add a few little polka dots to her winter cap! The buttons down the front were covered with rock candy distress stickles to maintain the cream color but still add some sparkle. I added the same distress stickles along the ground to simulate a light snow cover, just like the one we had here over the weekend! ;) The sheet music covers a chipboard coaster. it was distressed and sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. I then added this amazing snowflake sticker from Making Memories. doesn't that baby glow like all get out?! The sentiment comes from Create with TLC. a vintage button and some scrunched seam tape finish it all off.

Ryan's play opened last night and it was fabulous!!! he did such a wonderful job! Tyler comes home Friday so that he can go. I sure wish there was some way Mick could be here to see his little bro hamming it up on stage. we will try to videotape if possible.

Everyone have a most glorious day!

Paper Sundaes - Let it Snow

Stampin Sisters in Christ - weather

Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Belli Challenge - Old, New, Borrowd, or Blue (old- button & chipboard coaster, new-snowflake sticker & digi, blue- bg paper)

Crazy 4 Challenges - square card (I think that is all I make anymore!)

Golf is for Girls

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Sorry to have been away for a bit. Haven't been feeling too well, so have been tucked away in bed. But the good news is that I am up drinking coffee again today and was able to start catching up on my crafting. yipppeeeee!

I just love this fun vintage image and sentiment from Create with TLC. it makes me giggle every time I see it! ;) especially the look on that guy's face and his posture. me thinks she is kicking his pants on the links! tee hee! now we know that would never happen here at my house. David still plays golf like the pro he used to be, but who knows, I might just give him the card anyway. or send it to my MIL who enjoys a round of golf every week, too.

Once I finished watercoloring the image, I took my SU! ink squirty tool and sprayed both soft suede and river rock over the top. The papers are Daisy D's Autumn. I just love the beautiful brown trim I found on Etsy. it really adds to the 'girly' touch of the card. a golf tee adds a bit of whimsy, especially tied with the tea stained twine.

enjoy your day! I hope to be back to posting regularly now, with DT posts to catch up....

Pumpkin Cheesecake Please :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice with a bit of Pecan for fun :)

Good morning! Today begins a fun new challenge over at A Day for Daisies - "Please Pass the Traditions". Everyone is to make a card using a recipe that is part of your holiday traditions year after year. Well this pumpkin cheesecake recipe has been made faithfully every Thanksgiving for over 20 years in my family - back when David and I were first married to now, only now I make at least 2 to keep up with growing appetites and sons! :) it is soooooooooooooooo good and is looked forward to more than the turkey!

I decided to go with a fun gate fold card format so that the recipe could be tucked inside. This precious new digi from Tammy, 'Playing in the Pumkin Patch'. the image on the outside was watercolored; the image on the inside was lightly shaded with chalks. the papers are from Pixie Press, Earth Stripes. They were wrinkled and distressed, sprayed with flower power glimmer mist, and then lightly sponged with vanilla craft to age further. the leaves and pumpkins are from Making Memories and were treated the same. orange lace is some vintage from my stash. the little gliter chipboard pieces add just the right touch of shine and sprakle! buttons were touched with a bit of vanilla craft as well. the recipe card was lightly sprayed with the same flower power glimmer mist, which is actually a pale orange with gold spray. beautiful for fall!

I do hope that you can play along this fortnight! there is a super holiday freebie available for you to use and wonderful prizes are always up for grabs with ADFD challenges. plus, for today only as with every Friday release, all new release images are at a special discounted price. You need to check them out. Some beautiful Indian maiden images for Thanksgiving and adorable little friends for Christmas you most certainly don't want to miss! and as always, stop by the other DT members' blogs to see how they will inspire you with their creativity! :)

Alleluia Nativity

Coffee of the Day - Pecan Pie

Hello! I know I have been away for several days. David had taken a few days off from work - much needed days I might add - and we have been having a wonderful time spending some fun together visiting antique shops, little local restaurants & coffee shops, and just driving around northeast Ohio taking in the fall scenery. it has been truly glorious spending time together! not much crafting has been done, but that is okay, too. just so wonderful to be with my lovey dovey man! :)

I do have a Christmas card to share with you using Shady Tree Studio's Nativity set, just released last week. this is such a versatile set and I am having a great time using it! this time I kept the main image fairly simple, stamping it onto a piece of patterned paper from Basic Grey's Jovial collection. all papers are from this beautiful collection. the edges are sponged to accent the various shades of color. it was also sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist, while the star was painted with candlelight shimmerz. The music sheet in the bg was sprayed with the same glimmer mist, sa was the poinsettia & little sentiment tag. I added a bit of bright gold ribbon and some wonderful vintage buttons. The card base was edged in vanilla craft to help age. A little border punched edge adds just a touch of color.

We are expecting snow here tonight or tomorrow, so you know just how happy I am about that!!! I can't wait! :)

chat with you tomorrow! love ya! Jennifer

A Baby Bud Bee Hive

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Good morning! We are all moving a bit slow around here. Last night was our little town's trick-or-treating. While we don't really celebrate Halloween, there is one tradition our family proudly upholds every year. We get together with another family and give out hot dogs, chips, hot cocoa, & water to the people out trick-or-treating. The house has become known in the community as the 'hot dog house'! We have such a great time doing it! Tyler even came home from college for the weekend so he could help pass out hot dogs again. It began over 10 years ago as an outreach from our church, but then the church stopped doing it. We decided it was too good of a project to discontinue, so we started doing it on our own. Neither our friend nor us attend that church any longer, but God's love supercedes church walls anyhow. Everything is given out for free and no donations are accepted. God just says give to our neighbors, so we do. and people love it. they can't possibly know that we ourselves are gifted far more than they will ever be. :)

"Love your neighbor as yourself" Luke 10:27

So in that same spirit of sharing, I want to move on to my card project for the day. it is another card for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges at SCS. but again, I made 2 so that I could pass along one for the card drive I mentioned yesterday for children with spina bifida. This one is going to Bekah, an 8 year old girl. I sure hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it!

The cutie little bee comes from Baby Bud Designs. (hey, the 2 freebies are still up at the blog if you haven't snagged them yet!!! hurry hurry!) I wanted to put her next to a bee hive and finally found a coloring page of one online. this was printed onto paper from the Basic Grey Lemonade collection. such a happy line of papers and perfect for precious little bee girls! The challenge was to use 3 designer papers, 2 embellishments, and 1 ribbon. So my embellies are these great little rhinestone flowers that I colored with my SU! daffodil marker to match the paper. Of course every bee needs to have some sparkle, so I painted her wings with opal shimmerz, her antennae with beeswax shimmerz of course, and her black stripes with sparkle spritz shimmer spray. so shine she does!

Have a most beautiful day! It is in the 40's again here today, but the sun is just as happy as can be in the sky shining down upon us all! May you find comfort in the Son that provides love, peace, and joy to you today! :)

Hold onto your seats, there's a buncha cards in this post......

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice, of course! ;)

I have been busy trying to play in as many of the Hope You Can Cling To challenges over at SCS, so hang on while I show you several of my latest creations. All images can be found at Squigglefly.

First card up is one made for the Four by Four challenge - Four embellies, 4" square, 4 layers. Balloon Fun image is by Cheryl Alger. Papers are Basic Grey Cupcake. the balloon was painted with sparkle spritz shimmer spray as I have mentioned in posts earlier this week. It is a simple card because I made 2 - one is going to a little boy who has spina bifida. a fellow DT member of mine from Baby Bud Designs is doing a card drive on her blog. For more info, please visit Giovana and see if you can contribute a card. I know it would mean so much to these children! :)

Next card is a paper pieced birthday card. I used a new image from Teresa Ward called Flamenco Dancer. The papers are Jenni Bowlin Grandma's Apron. I used both the mini and standard 12x12 size on the card. The dancer's blouse and scarf were painted with the sparkle spritz shimmer spray. the rose was sprayed with the same. gorgeous trim comes from Etsy, little tag was tea stained, and prima leaves were sprayed with graphite glimmer mist. vintage button is from my stash.

and lastly I have a shaped card with another image by Cheryl Alger. this is also for the challenge going on over at her blog. I love this cute little Prim Annie! Cosmo Cricket paper was applied to a chipboard star and then distressed. the card base is SU! red riding hood, but doesn't show in the scan. the prima rose was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. the bow, star, and blouse on main image were painted with shimmerz. I punched mini stars for more patriotic fun! a little snippet of crochet trim, button, and finally the twine line with clothespins were added. This was a treat to work on! I haven't done prim in a while, so need to get back to it more often.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

A New Challenge begins at Baby Bud Designs! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice!!!! woooo hooooo! I am drinking coffee again! :)

Welcome to a brand new challenge with Baby Bud Designs! I am going to try to be quick today, because I want you to do 3 things for me:

1. race to the Baby Bud Designs blog to pick up not one, but TWO adorable freebies today and

2. be sure to stop by the other Lady Bud's blogs to leave them some lovin' for their beautiful contributions! :)

3. get started making your card so you can have a chance at winning the fun digi and card making prize pack!

now here we go ~

the challenge for this upcoming month is "Scallops, Buttons, and Bling", so baby I went to town! first I used one of the free images available today, "Woof Doggie". His little leash is part of my bling although David tells me no self respecting dog would allow a bow on his leash. I beg to differ! grins! The scallops are obvious in the lace and canvas portions, as are the fun buttons, but it is some of the other 'bling' I want to tell you about.

As I was taking my dogs out for a walk the other day, I was once again marveling at the beautiful colors of fall and the leaves scattered around me. I picked up a handfull and thought I would see what I might create with them. About that time a very fun package arrived at my door from i {heart} papers containing some birthday bash goodies I had won. inside was the spritz shimmer sprays I have been telling you about. I already had the frost and loved it, but I now have the sparkle and copper in my collection. Today's card is pretty much covered in the copper spray! The Jenni Bowlin Afternoon Tea papers were sprayed with it, the SU! canvas scallop strips were sprayed with it, and then the leaves were also sprayed with it! yes, way! you can spray leaves!!! and oh my stars, it is so beautiful irl! the little flecks of copper mingle with the various shades in each leaf. They were sealed with cheapo hairspray on both front and back, which helped to add some shine all in itself.

so there you go - 'Scallops, Buttons, and Bling'! please join us and play along. and a big hearty congratulations go out to Nataliya for winning the first BBD challenge! way to go! :)

• City Crafter - Autumn Leaves Falling

Don't Dance in a Small Boat.....

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice... gonna try and see how it goes... the temptation is sooooo strong! grins!



Good morning! I hope today finds you doing well!

I want to share another vintage set with you from Create with TLC. This sentiment just makes me giggle every time I see it. I hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

Please forgive the funky colors from my scanner. it didn't seem to appreciate the greens and yellows last night as I entered the card in..... irl there is a much greater difference I assure you.

I tried something fun and new on this card - I used the spritz sparkle spray as a paint here on the water. and oh my landsakes, I will most certainly be doing it again! there is such a beautiful shine that went exactly where I wanted it! it gives a lighter coverage than my beloved shimmerz paint - just a subtle shine. gorgeous!!! you will see another project using a different use for this fun spray tomorrow, too, so be sure to tune in! :)

I grabbed some neat goodies from my stash on this project - this great flourish transparency gifted to me by my friend, Melissa, some paper from my Rhonda stash, and lovely Daisy D's paper that I try so hard not to hoard, but love so very very much. some fun punches, a few unique buttons, a Prima, and good old fashioned twine finish this off.

enjoy your day and I will see you tomorrow! btw, I am sooooooo close to being caught up on craft projects! yeeehaw! :)

• Creative Card Crew - punches
• SCS HYCCT25 - buttons

Shady Tree Studios New Releases for Christmas! Hooray!

no coffee today.... :( strictly Gatorade diet for me for a while....

Today is the day that Shady Tree Studios releases 6 wonderful sets designed especially for Christmas! wooo hoooooo!

(and yes, I am behind.... everyone else was showing you glorious samples earlier this week while I was lounging in my lovely vacation home in Maui being hand fed grapes by my honey bunny...... well, in my fevered dreams anyhow! ;) but I am trying to catch up, so bear with me...)

I have 2 cards to show you today made with the set "Nativity". this is a gorgeous set with so many pretty images and sayings. Please be patient with me as I have been away from crafting for almost a week now, and am having a tough time getting my mojo back into it. I did my best, even though it took me double digit hours to complete just one card. yikes! hopefully that won't last long!

The first card (my first attempt at card making) uses the shepherd. I wanted to convey the feeling of him being in the mountains, so tried to create that with some Basic Grey Wassail papers that were torn. The edges were inked and then the entire thing was lightly sprayed with sparkle shimmer. The star is painted with my handy dandy shimmerz. you know how much I love that stuff! :) I added some fun trims and a pretty flower that was also sprayed, but this time with glimmer mist. finally a pearl pin was tucked in. The sentiment was stamped in a light ink, river rock to match all edging. I didn't want to distract from the main image by stamping it in black or brown. A very different card for me, but I still like how it turned out. much fewer layers than I usually do.

The next card shows me getting back into my groove, but still taking way toooooo long to complete. maybe by next week I can get things back to finishing a card in 3 or 4 hours per usual. I know, many of you are picking up your jaws from off of the floor at that one..... I really like to take my time to get things right. it takes me about an hour just to paint the images. okay, enough of that.... tee hee! This time I used Basic Grey Jovial papers and walnut gold glimmer mist for my shimmery shine. I used the same masking technique with sponging to show the star's reflection. again, the star is painted with shimmerz. The wonderful little corner embellie comes from Making Memories. flowers are Prima, buttons from my vintage stash, and seam tape is some I coffee stained a while back. love the bit of fabric still attached to the one button! how fun is that?!

Please please check out the other DT members' blogs. I haven't had the chance yet, but I KNOW they have created some of the most gorgeous things to inspire and tantalize you! then head over to Nancy's blog to see the new sets! she is a wonderful artist and just down-right nice person!

• SCS HYCCT08 - Fab Flower Power
• Sentimental Sundays - Distressing

Shady Tree Studios New Release Contest!

I have a big announcement -

hurry hurry hurry over to Shady Tree Studios blog RIGHT NOW for your chance to win the ENTIRE NEW RELEASE!!!!!! all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (on her blog, not mine. grins!) for your chance to win every single wonderful stamp in Nancy's Christmas line debuting tomorrow! but you have to have your comment posted by 11 pm EST!

I am so sorry to have been remiss in getting this info to you. I have been sick in bed since the end of last week. Went to log into my email, and over 1000 were sitting there staring me in the face. yikes! still not doing so good, but will try to get something made with a set from this beautiful new series for you.

Do stop by the other DT members' blogs to see all of the amazing things they have for you, and see what Nancy has created as well. now hurry off to get your entry posted! :)

A Vintage Flower Child! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (probably every day as long as I can find it in the stores!)

When I say the phrase, 'flower child', I am betting that this most precious image is NOT what first arrives into your head! giggles! But when Paulette of Create with TLC sent this to me, that is one of the first things I thought of. y'all know I am goofy like that! ;)

For an entire month, I am priviliged to be a guest designer for TLC for Paulette's vintage line. you know how right up my alley that is! and boy, was I ever excited when I received the news! I simply adore the little flower children images, so was tickled to get this one to start the journey! It comes with the matching sentiment, which I have turned into a tag.

I used one of my fave ever techniques on the main image, cracked glass. I realized it had been way too long since I had last played around with this. I added some highlights with my gold glitter pen to the flower stamens and also sponged gold ink over the entire piece prior to layering on the glassy glaze ep. The gorgeous Webster's Pages papers have been sprayed with frost shimmer spray. The card base is edged in vanilla craft, and then sponged with same vanilla then gold ink. I love this May Arts vintage looking ribbon with the gold edging. it really helps dress up the violet stitched ribbon, which was the only ribbon I had that matched the cs (of course with SU! it ALWAYS matches! grins!)

have a most wondrous day! love to you all! :)

• SCS HYCCT18 - Vintage Style

Come to Me Autumn....... plus a hugey huge announcement!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice, of course! ;)

What a truly glorious day! God is in His majesty, of that I am most certain! of course He would be even if it were pouring down rain, but the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the colors of Autumn surround me with so much beauty as I gaze out my windows...... there is so much to be thankful for! :)

I want to share a card with you that I hope reflects just a bit of what I feel as I see the colors of this most awe-inspiring season. and with it I get to make a humbling announcement as well. I have been asked to join the ranks of some of stamping's most talented EVER ladies by joining the DT of Shady Tree Studios! Honored doesn't even begin to express the way I feel!

I used the stamp set, 'Come to Me Autumn', with the image stamped directly onto my patterned paper. For this special card, out came the much hoarded Daisy D's! ;) I intentionally gave the image a muted feel, lightly adding color with my SU! inks and water color brushes rather than going bold with markers. The tag, polka dot ribbon, and glitter leaf are from Making Memories. The lace and buttons are from my vintage stash. The card base was edged in saffron craft ink. of course I had to get some distresing in there! ;) The little bit of twine is actually a bit of a tea tag that soaked while I was making tea one day! repurpose repurpose! The tag is popped up on foam tape for more dimension.

Please do check out the Shady Tree blog, store, PCP group, and of course the DT members' blogs for TONS more inspiration! Nancy has sneaky peeks starting today for next week's big release, so you for certain don't want to miss any bit of that! :)

• Our Creative Corner - 3+ embellies
• MelJen - tags
• SCS HYCCT10 - Walk On By
• City Crafter - vintage

Imagine a World of Mermaids....

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Hazelnut

Good morning! and what a glorious one it is! As I was driving Ryan to the High School for his PSAT bright and early at 7:30, we saw 3 deer running through the houses along the street. Then as I was returning from the grocery on my way back home, 5 more were grazing in the field. The mists were still hanging in the air, so it was truly a scene of beauty!

Yesterday Tammy introduced a few new images over at A Day for Daisies. While touring blog land I came across a few challenges that this precious Vintage Mermaid Child seemed perfect for. Opal shimmerz paint covers the fins for a wonderful shine irl. more shimmez paint is on the pretty little lily pad flowers as well. The soft papers are from Prima First Blush collection. The irridescent shells come from Making Memories. The paper flower was sprayed with frost spritz.

I hope you have a most wonderful weekend! and may you find scenes of beauty just outside your door, too! :)

• SCS HYCCT15 - Colors of Hope (pink, olive, aqua)
• Creative Card Crew - Fairy Tales with Digis

Trick or Treat Ellie

Two Posts in one day! woooo hooooo!

Trying to make a few cards to send off to the guys away at school..... thought they might like a box full of candy treats, no tricks at least if Mom has anything to say about it. Dad is another story entirely!!! :D

This cute little jester elephant from Tiddly Inks out trick-or-treating caught my eye as a fun one to use to send. Since I had to resist the urge to 'paint' the toenails, I went with 'emo' black. grins! perfect for Halloween, don't you think?!?! I added just a few touches of shimmerz paint on his pumpkin bucket and jester's hat. The boo bat rub on is a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry oldie from Basic Grey that I found at the bottom of my drawer....... but it turned out perfect for here! Seems I only use the BG Ambrosia papers for Halloween, but I do love them for this. hard to believe it was last year when I last pulled them out. The seam tape scrap was the last bit remaining from my card posted earlier today. I pulled a few strings off of the ends to make them raggedy. It was stapled to the ticket (another oldie but goody - you can actually see where the sun has discolored it... sheesh, I am so bad about using up some of my stash) with my tiny attacher. I don't know if any of you have this amazing little tool, but it is a must have for any of you who like to staple. these itty bitty staples are so super-dee-super cute and fit into the tiniest places! A simple button and some Maya Road pom pom trim finish off the card. not too much to the card, but it is going to a guy....... always have to remember the no fuss, no frills rule the guys have imposed on me for their 'manly' cards!

catch up with you tomorrow!

• Tiddly Inks - Halloween
• Creative Belli - Pumpkins
• Papertake Weekly - Three of a Kind (decorative papers)
• Pile it On - Things in Threes (decorative papers)

Black Cats for Sale

Coffee of the Day - Maple Vanilla

Today begins a new challenge over at A Day for Daisies - Black and Spooky! I couldn't resist this adorable little kitten image 'Black Cats for Sale' when Tammy first introduced it a month ago, so this seemed the perfect opportunity to get it all inky! :) As I was growing up, my bestest friend in the entire world was my beautiful black cat, Samantha. oh my gosh, she went absolutely everywhere with me. I had a basket on the front of my bike so she could go on every bike ride, if I went to visit relatives - along she went, she slept with me every night (probably why I insist our labbers sleep with us! grins!), she truly was my partner/shadow/confidante/friend. So coloring this image was great fun and brought back so many memories!

Their cutie little whiskers are outlined with my black spica glitter pen. The doily is sprayed several times with graphite glimmer mist, as is that most delish flower in the lower corner. isn't that thing just enough to make you drool? I won it in some blog candy and sure do wish I knew who made it and where I could find more.... if you happen to know, please let me know. Under that most gorgeous hunka hunka lucious vintage lace is a piece of Basic Grey Ambrosia dp that has also been sprayed with the graphite glimmer mist. A crinkledy wrinkledy piece of seam tape divides the doily and lace. some fun black rhinestones add a final bit of decoration while black diamond stickles edge the entire card.

Why don't you see how much black you can incorporate into your creation and play along with us? I bet you will find that it is much easier than you think! ;) and probably not so very spooky after all..... stop by and visit the other DT members, too! you know they will have some gorgeous things for inspiration!

edited to add - for today only a cutie patootie little witch freebie is available on the challenge blog for you! so grab it while you can!!!

see you tomorrow! :)

Shabby Tea Room - Pumpkins

Bee Crafty - Halloween

Paper Sundaes - Change of Seasons

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Halloween

Cupcake Crafts - Scary Creatures (but these black cats are awfully cute, not scary! grins!)

Happy to be Square

Coffee of the Day - Tiramisu

Hello everyone! Sorry to have been away for a bit. We had the entire fam at home for the weekend. Mick had Fall break until Tuesday, so what a joy to spend some extra time with him! didn't even know such a thing existed, so that was a treat indeed! then had a few other not-so-treatful things to deal with, but don't wanna talk about ickies here.... so suffice it to say, my crafting has been on hiatus for a while.

But now I am back and better than ever! tee hee! I don't know about better, but I am back! :D

I have a card to share with you made for the SCS Hope You Can Cling To challenge - Let's Dabble in Some Scrabble. The idea is to make a square card with pink and then add at least 4 other squares. I chose to use this adorable little Baby Bud Designs image called 'Heidi'. I used fun papers from the Cosmo Cricket DeLovely collection, added some faux stitching with my white gel pen, popped up the main image with some foam tape. added a few highlights with shimmerz paints, and then put on a few more little embellies to accent. The card is a smaller square than I usually make, coming in at 4 1/4" square.

I hope all of you have been well! see you tomorrow! :)

Digital Tuesday - Stitching

Wild Orchid - Stitch it Up

Doilies of Hope

Coffee of the Day - Toasted Coconut with Butter Rum

As you know I have been participating in a few of the challenges going over at Split Coast Stampers in their Hope You Can Cling To challenge forum. It really feels good to create something that you know is going to someone whose day needs a bit of brightening......

Today's card is for the Somekinda Hope challenge - create a card using something old and something new. We have a similar challenge starting today at the Squigglefly PCP group to parallel this one in hopes of collecting more cards for MD Anderson Hospital. Please, if you can, we would love to have you participate!

I used an image from the new set by Michelle Bertuzzi, Doilies and Laces, and printed it onto some of my old beloved Daisy D's papers from the Snowflakes & Holly collection. The doilies were highlighted with a black spica glitter pen, sprayed with frost spritz, and then edged with rock candy stickles. the little flower was sprayed with a new to me candy corn glimmer mist and then lightly touched with the same rock candy stickles. the buttons are all from my vintage stash, so they are old old old. most everything was adhered with my fancy schmancy new pink ATG gun that David bought me the other day! boy, am I lovin' that puppy! ;)

we are off to pick up Mick from Bowling Green in just a moment, so had best go..... everyone enjoy your weekend! love ya!

My First Attempt with Copics..... yikes!

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Well the time has come..... I have slowly been adding to my itty bitty Copic marker collection. My dear friend, Gina, was amazing and sent me a few of her duplicates! isn't that the coolest?! love ya, Gina!!!!! it is still an itty bitty collection, but I decided to be the gal full of adventure and actually use a few of these precious beauties & attempt to create with them. oh, the fear, the trepidation, the sweat filled brow.... and that was just as I looked at the markers in the box. it is one thing to look at the markers and gaze at the beautiful colors. it is another completely to contemplate actually USING them! oy!

but this adorable stamp set from Shady Tree Studio had been so quietly calling to me for long enough..... "play with me, please" it was saying. Well you will most certainly be seeing more from this cute set and wonderful company in the future! :) I grabbed my Basic Grey Pyrus papers since I have already told you how much I am enjoying them. I then thought how pretty the Little Birds stamps would look on a canvas tag, and the Copic markers would do well with the fabric from everything I had read. So I took 3 or 4 shades and went straight to blending for the bird, plant/leaves, and flowers. there is a blush oval behind the bird that IS intentional. I wanted to very slightly hightlight this wonderful little birdie without bringing too much focus onto it. unfortunately in the scan it looks as if I spilled pink lemonade on it..... oh well, the best intentions......

lots of glimmer mist colors were used here, too. both the ribbon and the lace have been sprayed with different colors as well as the bg BG piece with several shades.

yes, I will use my copics again. most especially after getting over the first time fear. blending on cs is going to be an entirely different experience, but I am woman, hear me roar! tee hee! ;)

• HYCCT03 - SCS UnSentimental
• Stampin Sisters in Christ - Nature

U Rock!

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

U Rock! Every Day! grins! just in case someone hasn't told you that today, I thought I would let you know. and I am sending this card off to Mick to let him know I think he rocks as well.

This image from Tiddly Inks always cracks me up. David thought it was a muffin. Even though I did everything I could to make this card look 'rockish' to go with Mick's love for rock climbing, David looked at me and asked, "You muffin?" I just rolled my eyes and took the card over to Ryan. he got it. phew.... I haven't completely lost it.... yet.

The rock bg paper was fun to make. Christy had offered up a freebie on the Tiddly Inks PCP group last week of some crinkly paper. I printed it out in b & W, sponged it with shades of browns & greys, sprayed it with graphite & walnut gold glimmer mist, wrinkled it up really good and tight while it was still wet, hit it quick with a heat gun, then sponged it with crystal effects. after this was dry, I sponged white craft ink over the top. voila! a rock face! perfect for my rock climber! Ryan knew it was rock paper immediately. I still am holding out hope for my hubster...... it has great texture and shine irl.

The papers are Basic Grey Boxer. I had forgotten how fab this collection is. The little ROCK in the boy's hand is also sponged with crystal effects. the zipper pull is actually repurposed from the pocket on a pair of Mick's shorts. he will get a kick out of seeing it here.

• Tiddly Inks - Diamond Glaze/crackle accent