Simple Pleasures involve Fish.... and some fun news! :)

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Truffle




Don't your simple pleasures usually involve fish? grins! well tuna fish is one of my comfort foods, so these fishy friends MUST count! my family thinks I am completely wonked that when I am really sick, I reach for tuna and crackers. yep, super-dee-duper strange. someone must have dropped me several times on my pointed little head when I was little, and it must have been right into a swimming pool! :)

Anywaaaaaaaaaaaay.......................

I think these fish from Isabella's Sketchbook are just so neat. She has quite a few to pick from and I am in the process of collecting them all. Today starts a new challenge over on her challenge blog, but she is also announcing the creation of her brand new DT. my dear friend Linda Payne is the co-ordinator of this crew, and I am blessed as all get-out to be included! woooooooo hoooooooooo! doin' the Texas Two Step over here to celebrate! wanna join me?! or you can just play in the challenge if you are so inclined..... the challenge this week is an 'anything goes', but get this - the prize this week is 6 free images to the winner!!!!! so I do hope you play. and be sure to stop by the other DT members' blogs to tell them congrats, too! you will make their day!

My card uses some of my precious Daisy D's paper stash. The water dots ARE intentional! :) I thought it looked kinda cool for an ocean scene. The sand is stippled over with darker ink to help add extra dimension. The shells were painted with opal shimmerz before coating with crystal effects. Buttons are from my vintage stash and both lace and beaded trims come from JoAnn's. The 'simple pleasures' tag is also from Daisy D's. gosh, I really really miss that company.... heavy sigh......

All of you have a wonderful day and enjoy YOUR simple pleasures! love ya!
Jennifer

Gingersnap Creations - Kraft

Baked with Love for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (from my dwindling stash....)

Hello! I hope you have had a wonderful day so far. I am finally starting to see that there is a life beyond pneumonia - yipppeeee! I hated that I had to miss the wonderful stamping convention in Akron this weekend, but on the other hand, I wasn't in the hospital like my dr. wanted me to be either, so home was a happy medium. :)

I wanted to play again in the challenge going on over at Isabella's Sketchbook challenge blog this week. the challenge was to create a project using a food image. I love this one of this precious little girl baking something yummy. It reminds me of the times I would visit my great-grandmother and we would make her wonderful applesauce cookies. Those were the BEST cookies! She was always asked to bring them to church. How blessed I was that she was able to meet Tyler, our oldest son, before she passed away. She was the one who introduced me to Jesus, too. oh goodness, that woman spent so much time on her knees for me. She saw me baptised at church camp one summer. What glorious memories!

The papers on my card come from the Jenni Bowlin Farmer's Wife collection. Just perfect for the vintage feel of this image, don't ya think? I colored the utensils on the table to match some that I have hanging on my wall that I picked up at several antique stores around here. The recipes I found online, printed, tore the edges, and then distressed with ink. Of course the buttons had to come from my vintage stash!

Enjoy the rest of your day! Take a little walk down memory land yourself, and then say a big 'thank you' to those wonderful people in your family tree who have helped make you who you are today! :)

2 Earth Day Blog Hops in One Post! Have Fun! :)

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Twist




Welcome to Create it Green’s Earth Day Blog Hop!! Thanks so much for joining us!

If you have landed here from the *fabby blog of Victoria*, then you are right on track. (what a gorgeous card by the way!) if at any point you lose your way, then please go back to Create it Green and start the hop or see what little treats might be hiding there (hint hint hint!!!). You won't want to miss all the Earth Day Inspiration or the amazing prizes from our generous sponsors! Make sure you leave a comment on each blog on the hop since winners will be drawn from the comments!!

For the Michelle Perkett Earth Day Blog Hop, you will just be arriving here from the *most spectacular blog of Kerri*! wow! hard for me to follow all that brilliance! (get it? she shines brighter than the rest of us! oh gosh, I am rolling today! giggles!) but truly, she is one fantastic crafter! and you will see lots on Michelle's hop today. again, everyone needed to use some repurposed items on their projects as well as incorporate the color green.

Believe it or not, my card today actually works for both hops! phew..... I am safe! grins! I am using a precious sentiment from Michelle and a wonderful image from a designer new to me - KPink, Kristen Powers. The papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry. The recycled elements come through my pretty pink string, which is more of my infamous laundry twine. y'all just cracked me up the other day with your comments about it! it seems you think that is a pretty spectacular find! hey, it works perfectly for tying up these buttons, as you can see! giggles! the hearts are punched from Starbucks drink cozies and then inked. what a fun texture they add! The heart and flower center on the main image hand have been painted with royal red shimmerz, in addition to the hearts and little highlights on the sentiment. The sketch comes from the Cute Card Thursday challenge.

Now from here for the MP hop head on over to *Patti's most phenom place*! This is quite the clever project, so hold on to your socks, 'cause otherwise they are gonna be blown right off of your tootsies! :)

The Creat it Green blog hop will run from April 22nd until Sunday, April 25th, midnight PST. We will be drawing for winners on April 27. So be sure to check the Create it Green blog to see if you are a winner. And check back here each day for more projects!

Now on to the *most amazing blog of Jean*. but I warn you - be ready for an over load of CUTE!!

Crafty Pad - recycled element

Stampavie - lace & button

Create it Green Earth Day Blog Hop - Day 3

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia



Welcome to Create it Green’s Earth Day Blog Hop!! Thanks so much for joining us!

If you have landed here from the *fabby blog of Victoria*, then you are right on track. (what a gorgeous card by the way!) if at any point you lose your way, then please go back to Create it Green and start the hop or see what little treats might be hiding there (hint hint hint!!!). You won't want to miss all the Earth Day Inspiration or the amazing prizes from our generous sponsors! Make sure you leave a comment on each blog on the hop since winners will be drawn from the comments!!

This card is for my son, Tyler, from one of our cats, Eliza. When he isn't around, she looks for him. When he is here, she must sit in his lap. And I must say, and he agrees with me, when she is with him, he does much better playing his video games! I tease him that she is his muse! :) So when I saw this fat cat digi from Squigglefly, I couldn't resist the temptation to make a card for Tyler from Eliza. I paired it with this fun, playful paper from Shirleys 2 Girls. The stripe ribbon is also from S2G. The repurposed items on here are the bow - some crinkled packing material wrapped in the neat ribbon, and the kraft strip behind the main image. You have to promise me to never ever tell Tyler what it is before I reveal to you what it is..... okay? promise? since I have been so sick with pneumonia, I have been going through tissues like crazy. as I was opening yet another box the other day, I looked at the pull strip and thought to myself, "hmmmmm...... this is kinda cool. I bet I could use this in my crafting. I like the ragged edges." so here it is! Isn't it fun? I just added a rub-on and some buttons. like I have said, you just never know how you might use what you would have thrown away. now to go put this on Tyler's desk and wait for his reaction........ tee hee hee!

This blog hop will run from April 22nd until Sunday, April 25th, midnight PST. We will be drawing for winners on April 27. So be sure to check the Create it Green blog to see if you are a winner. And check back here each day for more projects!

Now on to the *most amazing blog of Jean*. but I warn you - be ready for an over load of CUTE!!

Create it Green Earth Day Blog Hop - Day 2

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Spice



Welcome to Create it Green’s Earth Day Blog Hop!! Thanks so much for joining us!

If you have landed here from the *fabby blog of Victoria*, then you are right on track. (what a gorgeous card by the way!) if at any point you lose your way, then please go back to Create it Green and start the hop or see what little treats might be hiding there (hint hint hint!!!). You won't want to miss all the Earth Day Inspiration or the amazing prizes from our generous sponsors! Make sure you leave a comment on each blog on the hop since winners will be drawn from the comments!!

My project today uses a cute little digi from one of our sponsors, Digital Delights by Louby Lou. I was blessed to be a guest designer for them last year, and Wendy is just the greatest! She draws the most adorable images! I love the expressions on the faces of these 2 buddies! David bought a baseball cap the other day and left the tag in the Jeep. I saw it and immediately snagged it for my crafty stash. I knew it would come in handy one day! 'Adventure' seemed the perfect definition to stamp on it for these two sitting on their stumps in the woods! :) I tied the tag with some canvas mesh that was also in that same "oh yes, this will be perfect to use one day in my crafting" stash of found goodies. Added a few twigs, some buttons, and a little piece of linen thread. You never knew repurposing your hidden treasures could be so easy, did you?! and just ignore those spouses that roll their eyes at you........ after a while you hardly even notice! grins! Papers are from KI Memories and come from my friend Kate at i {heart} papers again. she is so fabby! love ya!

This blog hop will run from today, April 22nd until Sunday, April 25th, midnight PST. We will be drawing for winners on April 27. So be sure to check the Create it Green blog to see if you are a winner. And check back here each day for more projects!

Now on to the *most amazing blog of Jean*. but I warn you - be ready for an over load of CUTE!!

Create it Green Earth Day Blog Hop - Day One!

Coffee of the Day - Tiramisu



Welcome to Create it Green’s Earth Day Blog Hop!! Thanks so much for joining us!

If you have landed here from the *fabby blog of Victoria*, then you are right on track. (what a gorgeous card by the way!) if at any point you lose your way, then please go back to Create it Green and start the hop or see what little treats might be hiding there (hint hint hint!!!). You won't want to miss all the Earth Day Inspiration or the amazing prizes from our generous sponsors! Make sure you leave a comment on each blog on the hop since winners will be drawn from the comments!!

For today, and yes, I will have a different project each of the 4 days of the hop, I have chosen to alter a little brie box. The box itself is 4 1/2" in diameter, so not too big. I covered it with the beautiful papers from Basic Grey's Lilykate collection, which were sanded and inked along the edges. Around the rim of the lid is this wonderful crochet trim that I tied in a bow which you can see at the top. The little Prima rose was sprayed with rose walnut glimmer mist to both give color and shine to match. A combo of new and vintage buttons were added. I have to tell you about the pink twine tying the brown flower button - at various times when washing our many afghans and blankets, I find these stray strands in the bottom of the washer, or somtimes the dryer. Well, not one to throw away a fiber I can use for crafting, I put them in my little stash of scraps. That is what you see here! :) Hubby shakes his head, of course, but it was the perfect color pink to go with this project and a great way to repurpose something!

The gorgeous digi image on this box comes from Isabella's Sketchbook. I love her store! The centers of each flower have been dotted with shimmerz paint. For the container, I painted it with several colors of ink, but then sponged on vanilla craft to help age and distress it. doesn't show up so much in the scan, but irl you can see the difference.

The little hearts inside the box come courtesy of one of our blog sponsor's - Green Field Paper. They so kindly sent some of us samples of their most popular papers. As soon as I saw the papers with the flower seeds embedded within, I knew just what my project would be! So I punched hearts from the various shades, added a few little Prima flowers to accent (but no embellies to the centers as I normally would since these will be planted, and I want to be earth-friendly!), and wrote on them in true Alice-style 'plant me'! :) There are about a dozen inside the box. My MIL is coming to visit in June, and she loves to garden. I thought this might be the perfect little giftie to welcome her to our home!

This blog hop will run from today, April 22nd until Sunday, April 26th, midnight PST. We will be drawing for winners on April 27. So be sure to check the Create it Green blog to see if you are a winner. And check back here each day for more projects!


Now on to the *most amazing blog of Jean*. but I warn you - be ready for an over load of CUTE!!

Gingersnap Creations - Botanical
Busy Beauties - Green with a twist
Pile it On - Spring
Totally Papercrafts - Spring
Digital Tuesday - April Showers, April Flowers

Squigglefly Rewind

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Today is a fun day at Squigglefly. Various designers are taking some of the older images and using them on new craft items! how cool is that!?!

I chose this neat digi from Angie Davis called Chair Cat. It has long been one of my faves. Probably because I have always been a cat freak. I decided to use some of this wonderful paper that my friend Kate, the owner of i {heart} papers, sent to me when she heard about my craft room fiasco. what doesn't show in the crooked scan (sorry about that!) is that the paper is both shiny and flocked. so pretty irl! I added texture to the kitty by stippling on ink with a dry paint brush. I then used a silver glitter gel pen to go over the lines of the chair to give a bit more sparkle. man oh man, I would love to have a set of these gorgeous chairs! The buttons are all vintage. I sprayed the prima flower with walnut gold glimmer mist to help age it just a bit, but also to help give it a touch of shine to match everything else.

Be sure to check out other DT members' blogs to see what they are showcasing today! and check back tomorrow for the start of the Create It Green Earth Day Blog Hop!

'Owl'Ways Together :)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

Hello there! Sorry to have been away again. Once we got over the icky tummy bug, I came down with pneumonia and a sinus infection. I am sooooooo ready to not be sick anymore. So I am done with it all - okay? sound good to y'all? deal! :)

For today I am playing in the challenge over at Isabella's Sketchbook - use the sketch provided. well, I turned it upside down, being the rebel that I am. I tried to keep in mind that I am sending this to my sweetie, so kept the frilly frou frou to as much a minimum as I could. Even added some sticks to make him happy! giggles! guess which owl is me? yep, it's tough I know, but give it a go anyhow.........

Papers are the new Basic Grey Green at Heart. This is an AMAZING collection! I love the colors and designs! The curry areas have been painted with beeswax shimmerz for a little extra shimmer shine! I have had this vintage/retro lace trim in my stash for a while, and thought this would be the perfect time to use it, since it is more of an accent on this card. I used the distressing technique I told y'all about a few weeks ago again - distressing with water and ink. That hot pink turned out much hotter than I anticipated once I got going with it (not so hubby-friendly), so I pulled out my ink squirty tool and 2 different markers - celery & cocoa, to help create a more subtle look to the main image. I also gave a wash of caramel ink to the bg to help as well. it is amazing how several little tricks can create a totally different overall effect.

Thursday starts the big Create It Green Earth Day blog hop, so I hope you check back. I also plan to have a little Squigglefly something for you tomorrow if all goes well. Thanks for hanging in there with me! It sure means a lot! :) love ya!!!

Paper Sundaes - Card with no people
Stamp with Fun - Animals

A Little Hint for Hubbies.......

Sorry to have been away. Our family has been hit with the most nasty tummy bug ever created. We call it the "Spring Break Bug", because that is exactly how long it has lasted. Ryan brought it home the first day of Spring Break and here it is, the day before the guys go back to school, and life is just beginning to emerge from the covers of each bed. Oh my stars, what a week it has been!

Thankfully Easter was a lovely day. We were all healthy as could be that day. The day after was another story entirely. David has been the only one to not get sick, and for that I am extremely grateful. Poor Mick came home from his rock climbing trip on Wed. and was sick by Friday.
It has taken about 4 days to completly overcome the effects of it, with me of course, being the exception. I do hope to get back to my crafting soon. Slow and steady like that turtle as always.......

But here comes the hint for hubbies -
When your family is sick with a tummy bug and is JUST beginning to hold food down and is requesting soup - Southwestern Tortilla Chicken with Beans is usually NOT what they have in mind. :D nor is Teriyaki Chicken Noodle, Cheesey Potato Broccoli, or New England Clam Chowder. All of those are quite yummy on their own in normal times I am sure, but just plain ol' red and white cans of Cambell's chicken noodle or even Ramen are just the ticket. We do appreciate your thoughtfullness, honest to goodness, we do! but at times like these, simple is best. love ya, honey! :) thanks for all the trips to the store for ginger ale and Gatorade! We couldn't have made it without you! mwah!

Splashing with Friends and some news.....

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Biscotti

I was able to do a bit of crafting these past 2 days - which is exactly how long it took me to finish this card! ;) but finish I did...... which makes me very happy!

Isabella's Sketchbook has started a brand new challenge blog, so I thought I would try to work up a card to submit. For the first challenge, the players are to use a sketch. This fun image, Beach Friends, is one of the very first I bought. It reminds me of my boys on the beach as they were growing up in Florida. We always lived near the beach and spent many many days there before moving to Ohio.

Check out the store for a wonderful sale going on. also as you may remember, she has a DT call-out going on through the end of April if you are interested.

The papers are from the Basic Grey Lime Rickey collection. I added a metal tag from Flair Designs, a Prima flower, shells, twill ribbon, and buttons. The little seed button reminded me of some of the neat seed beans my Dad and I used to hunt on the beaches in Texas as I was growing up. As you can tell, I have many fond memories tied to the ocean and times at the beach.

The main image has a few little deets that I want to point out to you. For starters, the inner tube, sunglasses, and swimming goggles have all been covered with crystal effects. The hat's bow was painted with pink shimmerz. I used my white gel pen to add polka dots to the tote bag as well as to go over the tummies of the penguins to give them more depth. Now I was using my ink squirty tool with caramel first to give a little more character to the main piece. it looked neat, but needed just a hint of a darker color, so I pulled out the cocoa marker. things were going grand with just a light touch until I got to the right side (the finishing portion, of course) when the marker globbed a BLOP of ink right over the head of that cute little penguin wearing the red bathing suit. awwww pooey..... now what to do? well I always told the ladies in my stamping classes that there were no mistakes, only moments of 'whimsy'. so I got heavy handed with the ink squirty tool, which I did not originally plan to do, and went to town. it ended up looking okay, but then led me to do another of my fave techniques - a water and ink distressing to the edges of the cs.

Using the Direct To Paper technique (DTP), ink the edges of the cs heavily. For the next step, I keep a little bowl of water nearby. Dip your finger into the water and then run it along the edges of the cs. This allows the water to absorb into the paper and also lets the ink soak into the paper as well. As I rub my fingers along each edge, I use my fingernail to rough up the edges some. This adds to the distressed look as the cs dries. Give it a try sometime!

now for the news portion - I had told you that I was going to be leaving my DTs because of my health. Well when I sent out the notices to the companies and challenge blogs that I represent, many of them let me know that they did not want me to leave. All that they would ask is that I submit as I was able, even if it was only once a month and even if I couldn't start until next month or so. How amazing is that?! Talk about making a person feel loved!!! I am just so very very blessed! So every once in a while you will still be seeing some company posts here. and every once in a while you will see some of my own things as I am motivated and able. God is good - so very very good. Every day! :)

Creative Card Crew -Aged/Vintge/Distressing

Charisma Cards - Animal Magic

Simon Says Stamp - Its So Distressing

For Fun Challenges - Anything Goes

Totally Papercrafts - Let's Go Digital

Pile It On - Animal-rific