He Has Risen Like He Said!

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Marshmallow

Blessed Easter Morning, the tomb is empty! He has risen indeed, just like He said! What a glorious promise that has been fulfilled! :)  oh, the love that God has for us! may you feel it every day, every moment of your life!

My card for today is for all of YOU - my special friends who have lifted me up to such wonderful places when I didn't have the strength to lift myself. you have poured out your love and friendship and kindness upon me. thank you so very much! may you feel the heart that I put into this card for you!

The beautiful cross image is from Eureka Stamps. I actually saw it first on a friend's blog and knew I needed it for my own! papers are Basic Grey Plumeria. buttons are vintage and trim is Prima. flowers were made with a MFT mini roses die and the BG papers. leaf die is SU! and covered with distress stickles. same distress stickles edge main image. little cluster of berries is some I happened to find in my travels. the colors match the paper perfectly! sentiment is Create with TLC.

Challenges:
Pile it On - handmade flowers
Inky Impressions - Easter or Spring
Raise the Bar - sketch
House that Stamps Built - spring flowers
Brown Sugar - flowers
Digi Haven - spring
Pattie's Creations - Easter
Stampin' with the Dragon - Easter
Sweet 'n Sassy - think spring
4 Crafty Chicks - Easter
DRS Designs - paper flowers
Little Miss Muffet - Happy Easter
Play Date Cafe - color photo inspiration
WAW - anything goes with inspirational verse
Crafting by Design - vintage Easter or Spring
Crafty Creations - Easter
Creative Belli - Easter (papers & dies are my oldies. vintage buttons & lace are really old! grins!)
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Easter
Sisterhood of Crafters - Easter/Spring
Stamp 'n Doodle - Easter or Spring
Crafty Sentiments - Easter
Cuttin and Stampin - Easter
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Easter
Loves Rubberstamps - Easter
Oldie but Goodie - Easter (papers & dies are my oldies)
Our Daily Bread - He is Risen! :)
Party Time Tuesday - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Craftin Desert Divas - Easter
Daisy Doodles - Easter
Melonheadz - Easter or Spring
Victorine - anything Easter
Basic Grey - Easter
One Stop Craft - Easter
Allsorts - vintage
LEJ Designs - vintage or retro
Simon Says - anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow - Easter
Squirrel and Fox - Easter or Passover

Several Cards - Finally!

Coffee of the Day - Santa's White Christmas (yep, it's been one of those weeks. our holidays are all mixed up!)

I finally have a few cards to show you. this has been one of those turned upside down and inside out kinds of weeks. the guys have been home for Spring Break, but we've hardly seen them. Tyler and Mick have started  new jobs at the same restaurant in Kent, so they've been driving back & forth all week for training. the restaurant opens on Monday.

as I had posted earlier, our water heater went kaput the first part of the week. David spent a few days trying to track down a proper replacement and then install a new one. because we live in a Century home, not just any hot water heater will work in our basement. it's hard to find one that will fit, and of course they don't come on the cheap end.... then yesterday as Tyler was driving to work, his car started to act funny. it's about an hour drive to Kent from here, so he stayed on the phone with Dave pretty much the entire time. Mick had been staying with his girlfriend's family for several days because he is singing at their church Easter morning. (He was going into work during the day and then going over to the church in the evening for rehearsals.) So David drove over to Kent to work on Tyler's car yesterday morning and ended up spending all day there.

When Mick arrived, everyone discovered that he was super sick with a nasty flu/cold. So he was sent home to recuperate. I immediately mixed up a tea brew in preparation for him, and he's been in bed ever since. whew.....hopefully Mick will feel well enough to make it to church tomorrow to sing. we've all been invited to Jocelyn's family Easter dinner afterward, then the guys head back to school. :(

now for the cards after you have sat through the boring life stuff! ;)

the first card I actually made a while back and then forgot to post! everything today is courtesy of Create with TLC or Baubles by Bri.

papers are K & Co. Julianne, images are Create with TLC sprayed with walnut ink after printing,  flower is a gorgey one by Prima, buttons are vintage, ribbon is May Arts, tiny file folder is from JoAnn's. I used my beloved tiny attacher from Tim Holtz and lavel maker and finished it all off with a little metal clip.

A new Paper a la Mode challenge begins today at The Outlawz, so this is my DT submission to hopefully inspire everyone!

next card is for my best friend and her family. they have been going through a lot lately, and I wanted her to know I've been thinking about her. even though we text all the time, it's nice to get a reminder in the mail. sentiment is Create with TLC, image is Baubles by Bri, papers are Melissa Frances Attic Treasures, buttons are vintage, as are the seam tape ribbon & lace trim. the tag was sprayed with both Clam Bake & Coffee Shop glimmer mist. several washi tapes were added and then a tiny arrangement of some flowers that seemed to match the ones in the main image were added near the largest button. I added dots to the flower stems on the main image with my white gel pen to mimic the ones in the little flowers.

a publication update for you - I have several cards being published in a UK magazine next month. I'll give you more information as soon as I get it. another card will be published in an online magazine in a few months. yep, I'm excited! :)

I'm working on my May Arts spring challenge project in my spare time. have a few extra ribbons I ordered coming in over the next few days. hope that what I plan turns out to be a neat project! I've been picking up little pieces here, there, and everywhere, so you never know what is going to show up on this! tee hee! the competition is very fierce, so I'm trying to bring my A+++++++ game to the ring. yikes!

--------> keep your eyes open because I am finally going to be posting my 500+ followers blog candy soon!

Challenges:
Whoopsi Daisy - use a digi
One Stitch at a Time - use a digi
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
Lacy Sunshine - layer it up (in my thoughts card)
Chocolate, Cards, and Coffee - bring on spring (in my thoughts card)
Creative Corner - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - spring colors (in my thoughts card)
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon (knowledge card)
Paper Crafting Journey - ribbon or lace
Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes
CRAFT - Mother's Day/Female (in my thoughts card)
Crafting by Designs - vintage Easter or Spring (in my thoughts card)
Totally PaperCrafts - metal (knowledge card)
Creative Card Crew - for a man (knowledge card)
LEJ Designs - vintage or retro
Allsorts - vintage

Greater Love

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Marshmallow

it's Good Friday. not really a time when I would say 'Happy Good Friday' to ya, because it is more a time of  quiet reflection than a happy occasion. a week that began with 'hosanna' and 'hallelujah' is now starting to hear cries of persecution. how quickly the crowds will turn.

we all have times like that in our own lives. what starts out as a mountain top experience soon seems to feel like a fall over the edge.

BUT there is good news. we are not alone. we do not walk this journey by ourselves. we have friends who come along beside us at different points in our lives. sometimes they are there only for a season, sometimes they are there for longer. regardless, we need to remember that it is all too easy to turn inward during times of difficulty - to hold everything inside. that is one of the lies of depression.

and above all, we each have a Father in Heaven whose love for us can hardly be put into words. it is more vast than the number of sand grains on a beach, deeper than the love you feel for your own children, more encompassing than the stars in a night sky......and it is pure and true and never wavers depending upon what you wear or how much money you make or what kind of car you drive or don't drive. or even whether you have  hair or not. He loves YOU. God loves YOU. and that is where the 'Good' comes into Good Friday. that is the good news. because that tomb may be filled for a few days, but it doesn't stay that way.

I found this pretty little calling card one day while out with David doing some of our antiquing. it is dated 1897. funny, that is the year my grandfather was born. it reads, "Loyal friendship, pure and true. This is what I feel for you." it is such a pretty little card. I want to share one of my very favorite verses with you that seems perfect alongside this.....  John 15:13 KJV
¹³ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

for those of you who don't know me very well, I do have a tattoo and have plans to get more. but my tattoo has a very deep meaning to me - it is a reflection of my faith, and all that follow will be the same. my next one will be a reflection of this verse.

and so I wish for you and your family a very 'Good' Friday. may you feel the love that God has for you. and may you know that love in your heart forever. you are truly loved with an everlasting love that will not go away! now THAT is the good news of Easter! :)
Jennifer

Randomness....

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

no card to show you today, I'm afraid. sorry about that, but I've been in bed most of these past few days, sicker than that proverbial dog. cancer is just flat out yucky. okay, enough of that. suffice it to say, I am getting weary of feeling icky all the time. blech! I hope to get some crafting done in the next few days if all goes well and I'm feeling a bit better.

anyhow, still snowing like crazy here. it's so pretty! I haven't updated you on my critter friends in a while, so here goes....
my owl friend is back from his winter vaca to parts unknown. he woke me up with his hoot, hoot, hoots the other morning. so lovely to have him around again! my little squirrel buddy is no longer a baby, but has reached the 'toddler' stage and is fighting the blue jays for the peanuts I leave out on the front porch banister. it's pretty funny to listen to them 'argue' with one another over who is going to keep the peanuts! yes, I am very easily amused when it comes to the critters on my front porch! :) the other birds still enjoy their games of chase and my front door wreath. hubby still insists that I take it down, while I am just as adamant that it stays put. I've counted as many as 5 birds perched upon it at one time.

my ribbons arrived yesterday for the big May Arts Spring Challenge! I am so excited to get started on my project. the ribbons they sent are absolutely gorgeous, as you can imagine! the tricksy part is going to be taking photos of all the steps. my shaky hands and a camera do NOT get along well. that is why I use my scanner all the time. oh well. crossing fingers it goes well.

all of my handsome, fabulous sons are home for Spring Break.... can you tell I am such a proud mom?! they stay up late gaming and laughing, and Dave is right in the midst of it all! what joy it brings to my heart! :) life truly couldn't get any better than this.....

well, maybe if the hot water heater hadn't gone out. as in cracked a leak and poured water all over the basement floor. but such is life. always something to make you thankful for the multitudes of things that go right every day that we take for granted. so thank you to the heater in our cold weather and the refrigerator and the car and our clothes and our dogs and the electricity and so on and so on...... :)

my tip for the day - if you sit down at a restaurant and notice that they offer grape as a flavor of margarita, more than likely the drinks there will NOT be very good! ask me how I know..... and no, I did NOT order a grape margarita..... I know better. ;)

You're So Hot

Coffee of the Day - more Coconut Marshmallow (hubby really likes this one!)

My card today is a very simple one I made for hubby. he has a deep love for all kinds of peppers. well, all of the  guys in my family do, but this is a card I could only give my lovey dovey man! :)

all of the papers and images come from Doodle Pantry in a pre-colored kit. I kept the embellies simple, 'cause that is how Dave likes his cards. yep, VERY hard for me to do! the peppers along the left side are layered with foam tape. they are actually 3 layers deep - sort of a decoupage look to them irl.

wanted to add that if any of you have been waiting on an email from me, I am discovering that messages I'm sending out are not always making it to their destination. those yahoo gremlins are playing havoc again. please re-send your email to me letting me know and I'll be sure to email you back, again. I am so very sorry my messages to you are on vaca in cyberspace somewhere. or else they are stuck on the tarmac waiting for take-off, eating complimentary peanuts and drinking cheap little bottles of spirits..... ;)

Challenges:
Doodle Pantry - anything goes with DP image
Lady Anne's - use a sentiment
Charisma Cardz - die cuts
Happy Campers - add dimension
Shelly's Images - anything goes

A Little Bunny Just for YOU! :)

Coffee of the Day - more Coconut Marshmallow (yes, it is tasty!)

Today is a fun day over on the Jellypark Friday Friends Challenge Blog - new release images and a new challenge to boot! Please pop by to see so many gorgeous creations by the DT to inspire your weekend crafting, plus some great new digital images to get you in the mood for spring! Our challenge is 'pretty pastels', so I hope you will play along with us! :)

I am using the precious little Rose Bunny image on my card. the sentiment actually comes from another of Claire's images - Flowers in Vase. You will see that image coming up on a card later....
Papers are Basic Grey Soleil, flower is from Michael's, buttons & lace are vintage.

This is also my entry in the new Paper a la Mode challenge of anything goes over at The Outlawz. it's always fun to see what everyone creates over there, and so many great prizes, too! :)

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - girl power
Paper Crafting Journey - ribbon or lace
Creative Moments - animals
Inky Impressions - flowers
Paper Shelter - spring (flowers, pastel colors, bunny)
Simon Says Stamp - Easter/Spring
Stampotique - Spring
Crafty Sentiments - flowers
Die Cuttin' Divas - use a bunny
Card Mania - lots of layers
Craft Your Passion - ribbons or lace
Crafty Boots - flowers
Digi Darla - Easter/Spring
Eureka - what's in your Easter basket?
Stamp and Create - fur or feathers
Brown Sugar - anything goes
QKR - what's in your Easter basket?

You Are Beautiful

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Marshmallow (Ryan bought this for me yesterday! what a treat!)

We have a wonderful showcase over at Milk Coffee for you today. Our theme is florals and there are some gorgeous samples on the blog by the team. I hope you will stop over to see what everyone has created to inspire you!

My card uses the beautiful Tiffany in flowery bridal gown image from the Etsy store. the sentiment is from Create with TLC. the papers are digital ones, Carina Gardner Flourish. buttons and lace are vintage, leaf die is SU!, gorgeous flower is from Wild Orchid.

there is a lot of sparkle and shine on this card that doesn't really show in the scan. the roses have all been covered in milled lavender distress stickles as was the border the, accent dots were highlighted with my clear spica glitter pen, the flower was sprayed with shimmer mist, and the sentiment banner was sprayed with glimmer mist. A silver doily is tucked away in behind the flower, but might be kind of hard to see.

Even though the calendar says spring, we are in the midst of a huge snowstorm here in NE Ohio. 3"-5" of snow are expected today and temps are about 15*. roads are pretty nasty. I do love snow, but I'm happiest when no one is out driving in it. my guys start their Spring Break tomorrow, so I'm excited! :)

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - girl power
Forever Friends - lots of flowers
Paper Crafting Journey - ribbon or lace
Inky Impressions - flowers
Crafty Sentiments - flowers
Crazy Amigo - wedding
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - fave embellies (vintage buttons & trims)
Craft Your Passion - ribbons or lace
Crafty Boots - flowers
House of Gilli - anything goes with flowers and/or ribbon

Blessings This Christmas

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Today starts a new challenge over at ABC Christmas Challenges - F is for felt or fabric. I had a bit of fabric left over from when we re-did our dining room chairs a few years ago. it was perfect for not only this challenge, but for a pretty Christmas card. or at least I think it turned out pretty. hopefully whomever receives it this year will agree.

I followed a sketch from The Craft's Meow, using one of Lisa's pretty stamp sets, too. it is called 'Christmas Angel', and I was blessed to win this the end of last year. it is such a gorgeous set. the sentiment on the banner comes from the set as well.  I inked the portion I wanted to use of a larger sentiment stamp  using a marker prior to stamping. The images were stamped directly onto paper from the My Mind's Eye All is Bright collection. all dies come from Spellbinders. the fabric was cut with a die also - I just had to run it through a few extra times to be certain it cut. barn door distress stickles edge both the fabric banner and sentiment banner.

coloring of the angel was done with my usual SU! inks and watercolor brushes. the white wings were colored with white craft ink. don't they just pop?! thin lace trim is vintage and flowers are Prima.

As I had mentioned in yesterday's post - if you follow my blog via Google Friend Connect, you do NOT have to worry about losing your dashboard feeds based on information I received from Google discussion boards. everything will be just fine with these when Reader goes away. if you are concerned about the way you follow my blog, feel free to sign up for posts via email, which you will find at the top of the blog under the header. I will not be signing up for Bloglovin' because I don't care for it. I find it very un-reliable.

Challenges:
Craft's Meow - sketch (flipped upside down)
Word Art Wed - anything goes with encouraging sentiment
Sentimental Sundays - anything goes with a sentiment
Stamp 'n Doodle - anything goes
Whimsy Inspirations - stitching (mine is faux)
Bearly Mine - anything goes
Love to Create - anything goes
Shabby Tea Room - anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday is Making me Laugh!

Coffee of the Day - Spiced Hazelnut

First of all I want to address the big upset regarding Google Reader -
I did a bit of research on Google Friend Connect, which is how I follow most of my blogs. from what I can gather per the Google Discussion Forum, I will still be getting those feeds in my dashboard as usual once Google Reader goes away. nothing is changing there. for any blogs I haven't been able to follow through GFC, I have always opted to follow by email where available. it's nice having the posts go straight into my mailbox. this means one less place for me to have to check each day - a good thing for me, but it might not work for other people.

the bottom line is this, folks. do what works best for YOU. :)

now for my card -
Top Tip Tuesday Challenges is looking for ROFL projects. I'm using a great image from QKR Stampede and one of my fave ever sentiments from Create with TLC.

papers are some digital ones I printed out. I'll be back to post the collection as soon as I find it in my files. the sentiment was printed directly onto a journaling card. buttons are from my vintage stash. I took a mug, dipped the rim into cold coffee, and then stamped that directly onto my card in several places. goofy me forgot that this is NOT the wisest thing to do with digitally printed papers, as they tend to run..... oh well. it adds to the flavor of the card, that is for sure! the journaling card was sprayed with my SU! ink squirty tool and an early espresso marker. isn't that an appropriate color for this card?! grins! chevron dies are from MFT.

Tip - a great way to add texture for animal fur is to stipple a darker color of ink over the area. you can even add a light coat of stippled white or ivory ink over the top once that is done. this helps give added dimension to the animal's fur.

Challenges:
Created with Love - button up
Love to Create - anything goes
Ooh La La - it's a man thing
Pause Dream Enjoy - anything goes
There She Goes - anything goes
Sentimental Sundays - anything goes w/a sentiment
One Stop Craft - anything goes
Crafty Catz - make us laugh
Creative Corner - fasteners (buttons and clip)
Delightful Challenges - here's one for the boys

Be Like the Flower

Coffee of the Day - White Chocolate Coconut

Today is a great new challenge over at the Digi Makeover - pastel colors. perfect for the spring flowers, little bunnies, and happy chicks we all seem to be using on our cards at this time of year!

My card is fairly CAS, for me anyhow. I chose to use the Sprout Fairy image along with a sentiment from Create with TLC. papers are from the Basic Grey Kioshi collection, little flower is Prima, and buttons are vintage. her wings are coated in distress stickles. I used my crumb cake marker to add little accent dots around the sentiment banner. a few purple rhinestones were also added for a tiny bit more sparkle! :)

I haven't given up on getting my shops open.... I had asked someone to design a logo for me and am still waiting to hear back from them with photos. a few other details to get through that are taking longer than I anticipated, especially since I can't devote 100% of my time to the computer. but we will get there eventually! :)  I hope all of you like the fun things we have planned for it. some cool little antique goodies, but I'm REALLY gonna have a hard time parting with the fab vintage buttons I've come across!

thank you also to the glorious, kind, supportive comments left by so very many of you! it means so much to me! :)

Challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - anything goes
Alota Rubber Stamps - springtime
By the Cute and Girly - favorite things (Basic Grey and vintage buttons)
Lady Anne's - anything goes
Lia Stampz - Easter or Spring
Oozak - anything goes with spring
Really Reasonable Ribbon - flowers and ribbon
Visible Image - spring
2 Sisters - flowers for spring
Basic Grey - spring is in the air
Di's Digis - Easter or Spring
One Stop Craft - anything goes
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - banners
Docerela - pastel colors
QKR - dreaming of spring
Sweet Pea - spring colors

I'm Just a bit Square....

Coffee of the Day - Irish Cream, of course!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We are celebrating in big style here today, starting off the day with Irish Cheddar, Bacon, & Chive Scones. had to make sure it was a good sharp Irish cheddar, too. yum, yum! we'll all probably speak with an Irish accent for the day, just because we are silly that way..... how are you celebrating? green bread or beer? corned beef?

My card today has green on it, but it was made for the new challenge over at Pile it On - circles and/or squares. now I was really the square one here because I normally DO make most of my cards square. but this one I was so excited would actually fit on a standard A2 size card that it didn't dawn on me until it was finished that it should have been completely square! doh! what a goober! so for the BEST inspiration for the challenge, head over to the Pile it On challenge blog to see what everyone else has made! tee hee!

I used this pretty hummingbird block image from Bugaboo, papers from the My Mind's Eye Howdy Doody collection, vintage lace trim & buttons, & Spellbinders and SU! dies. the flower is 2 parts - the center coral/peach flower is from Wild Orchid while the outer flower is actually a silk flower I happened upon. they were perfect together for the colors in this card! I used my SU! ink squirty tool on the main square image as well as my spica clear glitter pen to accent the trails left by the hummingbird. the vintage buttons are my circles! yep, I'm so lame! ha!

Challenges:
Paper Take Weekly - 3, 2, 1 (3 buttons, 2 flowers, 1 banner tag)
Stamp and Create - fur or feathers
Avadares - Easter or Spring
QKR - dreaming of spring
Bugaboo Bingo - lace, flower, bling (spica glitter pen) or die cut, flower, green
Sweet Pea Stampers - spring colors
Artistic Inspirations - flowers
Crafts 4 Eternity - color inspiration
Aud Sentiments - for a girl
Forever Friends - lots of flowers
MAWTT - spring is in the air
Flutter By Wed. - any winged creature
Rhedd & Rosie's - one for the birds
Word Art Wed. - anything goes with encouraging sentiment
Celebrate the Occasion - spring is in the air
Crafty Sentiments - hello spring
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - fave embellie - vintage buttons & trims! :)
LEJ Designs - things with wings
Oldie but a Goodie - feeling floral (leaf die is from my old stash, as is the groovy guava ink used for coloring)
TTCRD - anything goes
Use it Tuesday - die cuts, punches, and cut outs (leaf die is old as is the groovy guava ink used in coloring)
Nana Vic - anything goes
Crafty Bloggers - spring or pastels
Eureka - spring has sprung

Enjoy the Journey

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Chipotle Bacon (yes, that IS my coffee! grins!)

Happy Saturday! we are in the midst of a snowstorm here. I'm watching cars slowly inching their way up the hill that my house sits upon. Here in NE Ohio, it's not unusual for us to have snow and bitter cold temps into the first part of May, so this really isn't a big deal. I remember an Easter several years ago where we had to cancel church because the snow storm was so bad.  glad I like the snow so much! :) perfect reason to stay inside and craft while my sons all sit around and play D & D. Hubby has a group out at Camp, or else he would be joining them. All of them played into the wee hours of the morning. it was great to hear the laughter of my guys filling the house! :)

Anyhow, I am here with a DT card. it is a halfway past the halfway post for Top Tip Tuesday Challenges, as well as a project for today's Paper a` la Mode at The Outlawz. You still have a few days left for the Top Tip challenge, which is 'Up, Up, and Away'. We are sponsored by Zlatoena and her cutey bunnies! Paper a` la Mode's theme is anything goes.

I'm using the 'Bunny on a Space Rocket' image and some great digital papers I came across. I'll link them up as soon as I track down the mfg. in my folders...... There are an assortment of dies on here - some from Spellbinders and others from MFT. the journaling card is from We R Memory Keepers. button is a coolio vintage one and wooden veneer stars are Studio Calico. clouds were edged in stickles, while parts of the spaceship and its flames were painted with shimmerz. Sentiment is Create with TLC. stamp on journaling card is from SMASH. I felt like such a goober because I realized that I had planned to accent the little dots in the flames with my gold glitter gel pen, but forgot. I didn't see it until after I scanned the card. will go back and get 'er done!

enjoy your weekend! stay warm in the love of the people around you! :)

Challenges:
Simply Create Too - Easter or bunnies
Charisma Cardz - twinkle twinkle little star
Crafty Ribbons - one for the boys
Little Miss Muffet - boys only
Fab 'n Funky - add a sentiment
Inky Impressions - add blue for colon cancer awareness
Word Art Wed. - anything goes with encouraging verse
TTCRD - anything goes
Tuesday Alchemy - anything goes
ABC - in the air

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh......

Coffee of the Day - White Chocolate Mousse

Thank you so much to my friend, Sharon, who sent me an email telling me some most fantabulous news. otherwise I might have missed it and not found out until tomorrow or later..... gosh oh golly, I am so excited I can hardly TYPE! ;)

my idea for the Spring Challenge at May Arts has been accepted and I am IN! :) wooooo hooooo! my bum is bouncin' on my chair and I am doin' the happy happy dance! oh my goodness, I can not even believe the amazing company I am in..... you can see the list of other participants here. the Spring Challenge is posted here.

I can't wait to get started! oh my stars, this is gonna be FUN! :)

my boys are on their way home this afternoon to spend the weekend with us, so I have a feeling we will do a bit of celebrating! yeehaw!

thanks to all of you who believe in me. you give me wings. :)
love to you!
Jennifer

Happy Pi Day!

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

Happy Pi Day to all of you! I feel like such a goof that I didn't realize it was Pi day until late this afternoon. sheesh.... what a goober! for those of you who aren't familiar with pi, it is a mathematical number based upon the area of a circle. today is also Albert Einstein's birthday, which is really pretty cool when you think about it....

thank you as well to the multitudes of you who have left such beautiful comments for me. a few followers have left, but I guess that is to be expected as well. I keep saying to my family that I'm really not that interesting, but at the same time I am as thankful as all get out for those of you who hang around and put up with me! :)

so I'll have a few more projects in the upcoming days, I'll always have a pot of coffee going  if you want to stop by to chat, and most certainly you can count on me for some little bit of something or another to keep us all smiling......

love to each and every one of you! :)

ABC Christmas Cup of Tea

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog

Today I am posting a midway reminder card for the ABC Christmas challenge 'E is for Eyes down' bingo. We are sponsored by both Shape EZ templates and Stamp Fairy. Last week I used an image from Stamp Fairy for my card, so this week I am showing a project with a Shape EZ template.

I am using the following options from the bingo board: not a square, flowers, glitter. my card uses the Tea Cup Flip Card template. it was an easy one to cut out, which is great for my bad head.

I first printed out some digital papers onto white cs. I then printed then tea cup template right on top of the printed papers. easy peasy! :) I then typed out my poem onto the inner liner piece template prior to printing. that became the pocket for my tea bag. 

the outside cup was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. be careful, because glimmer mist does cause colors from the printer to alter. in this case I love the different shades it turned the red. vintage crochet trim and buttons plus a glittered Prima poinsettia were added. edged were distressed. 

as you open the card, snowflakes from a Basic Grey stamp set were stamped on the liner. the base was sprayed with the same walnut gold glimmer mist. more distressing of the edges with both reds and browns.

it has been a very difficult past few days for me. I'm not going to go into it all here, because it has become apparent that most of you really don't want to hear my cancer/health woes. I don't blame you one bit. I don't either. guess that is why there are some complaints about me going around on the internet that I am catching wind of....that hasn't been easy to deal with either. sure do wish that people would at least be courteous enough to talk to me about their issues. I don't even know who the people are who dislike me so much.  oh well. I can't make everyone happy. I have cancer and can't change that. I'm dying and can't change that. the only thing I can change is my crafting and try to do the best I can with what I make, and believe me, I really do pour my heart into my projects. and I try to find something to smile about in the midst of it all. it isn't easy, and some days I'm not successful. 

sorry for the humbug. I'll try to do better. 

Pastel Easter Egg

Coffee of the Day - Eggnog (just seemed appropriate with my post! grins!)

Several weeks ago when The Crafters Cafe group was still around, I signed up for an Easter card swap in the Robyn's Fetish group. My card has been mailed out to my swap partner, so I am now posting it here.

I was given the Easter Egg image for my card. The papers are more of those sent to me by my friend, Chris, so I don't know the mfg., flower is Prima, leaf die is SU!, and border die is MFT. I masked the egg and sprayed glimmer mist on the main image. some lace was added to the tag and a few pearls to the border. I finished off the card with a bit of faux stitching. the big flower on the egg was painted with several shades of shimmerz.

I hope you have a most fabulous weekend! mine is going to be very quiet, hopefully spent in my craft room! :)

Challenges:
Brown Sugar - Easter
Avadares - Easter or Spring
Delicious Doodles - die cuts
Polka Doodles - spring flowers
Sparkle and Glitter - spring is in the air
Stamping for the Weekend - lace
Robyn's Fetish - Easter
CRAFT - Easter or Spring
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Art Impressions - anything goes

Time for Tea with my BFF

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut

Now I know all of you will find this hard to believe, but I have actually been a tea drinker much longer than I have a coffee drinker. even though I would drink 'coffee milk' with my Dad on weekends when I was a little girl, I have always loved tea - both hot and cold. I love to mix up my own brews, most especially cold blends in the summer.

So when Claire drew this most adorable, precious image of 2 little girls having tea and cakes, I jumped right on the chance to play with it! This is one of the new releases at Jellypark this week. we also have a great new challenge - Bunny Hop: use your bunny images on projects. This is also my submission for our new Paper a la Mode challenge at The Outlawz - anything goes.

Of course my little girls on the card had to have loads and loads of PINK! ;) I used papers from the My Mind's Eye Lavender collection, a fab vintage button, this heart border die by Memory Box that has captured MY heart, a fun fabric flower by Jolee's, and baker's twine. The doily was sprayed with glimmer mist.

Now I suddenly feel the need for a cup of lavender earl grey! :)

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge photo - colors and the girls' cute little cakes

Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks - die for dies
Divas by Design - buttons and bows
Paper Shelter - punches or dies
Party Time Tuesdays - die cuts
Crafty Sentiments - pretty in pink
Can You Digi It - little ones
365 Cards - cake
Crafty Bloggers - spring or pastels
Fashionista - make it pink
My Craft Spot - tasty treats
Ribbon Girls - ribbon or twine
Clearly Inspired - die cuts

The Easter Bunny is Getting Ready!

Coffee of the Day - Red Velvet Cake

Not too long until Mr. Easter Bunny comes hippity hopping down the bunny trail, so he is busy busy busy coloring up those pretty eggs! Our inspiration showcase at Milk Coffee is all about Easter, and there are some adorable new images in the store to help you with those projects for the holiday. if you stop by the blog, you will find a most beautiful free image that completely sums up what Easter is really all about.

My card uses the fun little Easter Bunny image. Don't you know he is happy playing with those fun eggs! I made this using some great papers my friend Chris sent to me. sorry I don't know the mfg.  Flowers are Prima, lace and buttons are vintage. I adore the discoloring of the blue button! that is one of the things that make vintage buttons such a treasure to me! :) Added a little doily piece, sent to me by another friend, Tracey, a few rhinestones, and some baker's twine.  I know it's a simple card, but by the time I was finished painting and ready to put it all together, I had spiked a yucky fever.

David returned last night from attending a big Christian Camping Conference in Michigan for the first part of the week. He had a great time catching up with some friends we haven't seen in quite a while. Another big conference for our Church District is in June in Philadelphia, and I really would love to feel well enough to attend. Even though David will be busy speaking at some of the sessions, I would love to do the proper tourist thing and visit the historic sites.  we shall see.....

p.s. some of you have asked about my coffee flavors. they are all actual flavored coffees, most of them decaf. I do have some syrups that I add on occasion, such as the bacon syrup I received at Christmas which is VERY tasty with today's flavor! but most of the coffees are just coffee - nothing added, well, except for milk, because as the name of today's shop says, I drink milk coffee! grins! or coffee milk as my dear Daddy taught me!

Challenges:
Crafting for all Seasons - spring into spring
LEJ Designs - all things spring
Ribbon Carousel - spring is in the air
Tuesday Throwdown - lace and doilies
Die Cuttin' Divas - sketch (flipped on it's side, panels turned into banners)
Crafty Bloggers - spring or pastel
Creative Stamp Friends - spring colors
Daisy Doodles - springtime
House of Gilli - anything goes w/pastels
Lexi's Creations - Easter
Ooh La La Creations - 4 legged friends

Oh yes, I do love Coffee!

Get up off the floor, yes, it's 2 posts in one day!

My radiation poisoning symptoms are back in full throttle, so I'm not sleeping all that well. that means I can sit in my craft room and make cards deep in the night - pretty much the only positive thing about the whole mess! ;) Last night I got 2 cards made, and they actually look fairly decent once the sun comes up, too! ha! That also means I'm on my 2nd pot of coffee - whoa nelly! Gingerbread this time. sadly, I'm almost out of this flavor. sigh...... and it's so tasty, too.

My card uses another one of the cute cupcake photos from Cupcake Inspiration Challenges. in fact, this is the one that first caught my eye so that I knew I wanted to play along. it's just so ME! :)

The image comes from Milk Coffee. it is the very first image I ever bought from this fun store. papers are Basic Grey Fiction. the button is vintage. twine is just regular household twine. not sure who the mfg. of the flower is.... sorry. the coffee cozy and swizzle stick/hole clogger-upper thingy both come from Starbucks the great and powerful, most wonderful of all coffee shops. I haven't been to one since before Christmas, but I know in my heart of hearts that they are still out there, making cup after cup of delicious lattes and frapps for people to quench their happy little palettes.

Challenges:
Loves Rubber Stamps - anything goes
Great Impressions - going green
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Twisted Tuesday - spring into green
Make it Monday - anything goes
One Crazy Stamper - anything goes
Melonheadz - going green
Basic Grey - anything goes with BG
Card Makin' Mamas - green
Digi Haven - green
Simply Create Too - St. Patrick's Day or use mostly green
Stamping with the Dragon - anything goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - bingo:  flowers, green, layers
Crafters Cafe - green or St. Patrick's Day
Simon Says Stamp - a bit of green
Inky Impressions - St. Patrick's Day or green

Peace and Joy Angel Bear

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Today starts a fun new challenge over at ABC Christmas Challenges. for this fortnight we have a bingo card for you to use. our sponsors are Stamp Fairy and Shape EZ by TLC templates.

My card uses an image from Stamp Fairy and the following from the bingo card: ribbon, animal, and die cuts.  papers are from October Afternoon Good Cheer. border die cut is Memory Box, seam tape is SU!, rose is Prima. the fairy bear's wings were covered in stickles. I added some faux stitching, tickets, and old sequins, along with a pin that was handed out at JC Penney's over the Christmas holidays. I made sure to save it (and a few others!) because I knew it would come in handy on a card. ta da! :) I used my gold glitter gel pen on the halo and star to add more sparkle and shine. The music sheet snowflake border piece was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist. there really is a lot of shimmer on this card that doesn't show so well in the scan.

Challenges:
Winter Wonderland - bears
Emerald Faeries - bling
Digital Tuesday - buttons or bling
TTCRD - anything goes
Created with Love - anything goes
Paper Playtime - anything goes
Christmas Card Challenges - anything goes
Ribbon Girls - ribbon or twine
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - ribbon, ribbon, ribbon
Christmas Cards All Year Round - sparkle and bling

St. Patty's Bear with Blessing

Coffee of the Day - White Chocolate Coconut

I managed to make a card today, using the fun cupcakes at Cupcake Inspirations Challenges as my inspiration. I had saved this free Irish blessing from Michelle Perkett last week, and knew it would be perfect to go with this cute Irish bear from Sassy Cheryl. all the makings for a perfect St. Patrick's card! :)

Papers are Basic Grey Origins, flowers are Prima, buttons are vintage as is lace. the bear's tie and clover centers are dotted with distress stickles in peeled paint, a lovely shade of green. I painted the edges of the card this time, rather than using craft ink like I usually do. the edges of the blessing were carefully burned.

Challenges:
Sassy Cheryl - flowers everywhere
Party Time Tuesdays - die cuts
QKR Stampede - 3 of something (3 designer papers & 3 buttons)
Celebrate the Occasion - Luck of the Irish
Clear it Out - St. Patrick's Day stash (papers and flowers are OLD! grins!)
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - go green
Twisted Tuesday - springlike and green
Digi Darla's - green
Stamp and Create - fur or feathers
Great Impressions - going green
One Stitch at a Time - green
Basic Grey - anything goes with Basic Grey
Hiding in my Craft Room - green
Digi Haven - green
Broken Box Stock - St. Patrick's Day
Card Makin' Mamas - green

Happy Birthday, Dear Jocelyn! :)

Coffee of the Day - White Chocolate Coconut

Today is March 4th, so I hope all of you are marching forth with boldness and gladness in your step! this day always gives me the chuckles, 'cause I am a goof that way!

it seems only fitting that one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world is celebrating her birthday today. our middle son, Mick, has chosen the most delightful young lady as his girlfriend. you hear me speak about her from time to time here on the blog or see things that I make for her. her name is Jocelyn, and she is such a delight! :)  Today is her birthday, and I hope she finds it full of all of the most beautiful things in life!

 Mick and Jocelyn - so in love!!! :)

I love you muchly, dear Jocelyn! sending you the largest virtual pumpkin spice latte I can imagine! you are my coffee buddy!


sorry for the absence of crafty posts. I feel absolutely horrid. tried to do a few things with all of the guys home this weekend and almost ended on the ground more times than not. spent most of the time in bed, just flat worn out. oh my golly, cancer is not fun. think even brussel sprouts would be better. maybe.

Some Jellypark Fun

Coffee of the Day - White Chocolate Mousse

Happy Friday! boy, am I ever glad the weekend is here. my guys will all be home again this weekend. sadly, Mick is coming home to attend the funeral of a former RA of his from his time at Bowling Green. He just found out today that his friend suddenly passed away.  After the funeral, we are planning a day trip to Pittsburgh. it is one of our favorite places to visit. The day away will be good for all of us.

The cards I'm showing are the last of my Love Fest challenge projects for Split Coast Stampers. All images on my projects today are from Jellypark. gosh, do I ever love Claire's artwork! I'm not doing a lot of crafting right now, but trying to rest up as best I can as well as get things ready for my stores opening. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful words of encouragement! they mean a lot! :)

The first cards shown are actually a set of 3x3 minis. I had forgotten how much fun these are to make! and goodness knows I have plenty of cs just this size, since most cards I make are 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square. The image is 'Girl Waving', and papers are Basic Grey Serendipity. flowers are Prima, buttons are SU!, and chevron die is MFT. flowers in hair are painted with shimmerz. I used a white colored pencil to draw some highlight lines in her hair.

The next card was for a photo inspiration challenge. The bee's wings were coated with stardust stickles, and the black stripes were painted with shimmerz. The paper, frame, banner tags, and journaling sticker come from a digital paper kit found at 2 Peas called '12th of Never'. let me tell you, fussy cutting that frame was a doozy! cutting anything is so hard for me these days. my brain doesn't function all that well and basic cutting is almost impossible. it probably took me close to 30 minutes to cut that out. it is popped up on foam tape, as is the main image and the sentiment. buttons and trim are vintage, flower is Prima. the eyelet was found in with  my vintage buttons. I just squeezed it shut with my crop-a-dile and then glued it onto the card. I didn't want the hole to show through the front of the card, which is why I didn't punch it directly into the paper. this way it sticks up from the card. the big black button is fabric covered. just a hodge podge of a card! :)

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Challenges:
All That Stickles - stardust stickles (bee card)
Brown Sugar - greeting
Oozak - anything goes Spring
Crafts 4 Eternity - bingo:  flowers, twine, yellow (bee card)