Boys and Their Pumpkins...

Winner at Joy Clair

Coffee of the Day -  Bourbon Pecan

Please forgive the tardiness of my post, but a new challenge began YESTERDAY over on Elisabeth Bell's beautiful challenge blog. I was so busy working out at Camp for several groups that were there through yesterday that I completely forgot to schedule my post. shame on me! please pop over to see the lovely projects created by my teamies to inspire you for our new theme, 'Autumn or Halloween.'

I chose to go with the 'Autumn' theme for my card, using this adorable little fella from Elisabeth's line at Whimsy Stamps. he is 'Little Jack Happy Harvest' and just as cute as can be! I stamped him with a neat ink by Ranger called graphite that looks just like pencil lead. it is super cool irl. almost gives that 'no ink' look you see on some digital projects that some of the really talented folks do, but is easy for the not talented people like me! :)

papers are from the Authentique Grateful collection, seam binding is from Zipper Stop, and flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. pumpkin template is from Shape EZ and little wooden veneer leaves are from SU!. matting die is by Spellbinders. some vintage buttons and ribbon snippets along with a sentiment from a label maker complete the card. the little pumpkin he is holding was paper pieced.

thanks so much for stopping by! hope your week is fabulous! :)

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - color inspiration
Double D - plaid
{pin}spirational  - photo inspiration (plaid, pumpkin, colors)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Joy Clair - color inspiration
Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - pumpkins or orange
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Dare 2B Artzy - fall

Welcome Autumn! and a Digi Bell Blog Hop!

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan (it's a tasty new one! yum!)

Welcome to my happy little spot on the Digi Bells Blog Hop today! Grab a nice piping hot cup of coffee to keep you toasty warm on this rainy Ohio Friday.... let me tell you, God is truly in His splendor this fine Fall day. it's absolutely GORGEOUS here! while it might be raining and cool, the changing leaves are fabulous to behold! squirrels and chippies scurrying here and yonder, birds serenading us at the feeder - oh, life is so very beautiful indeed! :)

so let's celebrate it all with this precious new image Elisabeth has brought forth from retirement called 'Fall Errands.' she is just as sweet as can be with her packages and jaunty little hat! and that messenger bag! adorbs!!! of course I had to color my cookies to look like Walker's shortbread. ;) if someone were bringing me a tin of cookies, that is what I would love to have delivered. tee hee!

you should have arrived here from the absolutely AMAZING blog of FIKI, my sweet friend!!!! if at any time you get lost on the hop, just head over to the Digi Bell's blog for the complete list.

for my card I've used papers from my most fave ever fall paper collection, Basic Grey's Indian Summer. main die is by Spellbinders, pumpkin die is from Sizzix, and leaf dies (sprayed with glimmer mist) are by Tim Holtz. seam binding on tag is from Zipper Stop and crochet trim across top is vintage as are teh buttons. little wood veneer pieces ans washi tape are from SU! all flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. sentiment stamp is from Shady Tree Studios.

now hop on over to my dear friend, LYNDA's blog to see what simply breathtaking project she has made to knock your fluffy socks off! she is some kind of talented! :) be sure to leave her a comment, too. it just makes people feel a little extra special when you take the time to say hello on their blogs. :)

thanks so very  much for stopping by! enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Fussy and Fancy - shades of autumn
Love to Scrap - anything goes
Cardz 4 Galz - use at least 1 die
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - ribbon or lace
Moving Along with the Times - trees and/or leaves
Sasayaki Glitter - Autumn/Harvest/Halloween
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
{pin}spirational - photo inspiration (colors, leaves)
Scribbles by Sandy - fabulous fall
Ooh La La - shades of autumn
Whoopsi Daisy - die cuts/punches
Eclectic Ellapu - autumnal
Ribbon Girls - use any image
Dare 2 B Artzy - fall

Hop to Stop - Domestic Violence Awareness

While I don't think I'm going to be able to participate in this amazing blog hop, I do want to let all of you know about a very special one going on right now. Becca, The Damsel of Distressed, put together the Hop to Stop several years ago to bring about awareness for domestic violence. the numbers of those affected by this are staggering.

I encourage you to head over to her blog post and read more about it. there are some wonderful sponsors for the hop, and if you feel so inclined, create something using the color purple as your main focus.

I hope to see you as I hop along!

Christmas Joy, Christmas Bells

Top Pick at Word Art Wednesday

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts

In my opinion, it's never too early to be making Christmas cards! :) I make them all year long as many of you who follow my blog know.  Elisabeth Bell has soooooooooooo many precious stamps and digital images to make card making all the more easy!

for today's post I'm using the adorable Christmas Bells digi combined with papers from the Prima Blooming Retro digital collection, pretty mulberry flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts & Hobby Lobby, ribbons, lace, and other beautiful embellies to make a holiday card anyone would love to have pop into their mailbox!

of course a bit of glitter always helps to bring a bit of sparkle and shine to the the season, don't you think? ;) thank goodness for all the variations of stickles! all dies are by Spellbinders.

be sure to link up your holiday cards over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge blog for a chance to win a gift certificate from Bugaboo. and the Digi Bells challenge is still going on, too.  you KNOW you want a chance to win some of her gorgeous digis! :)

thank you for stopping by my blog today!

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - bingo; sentiment, distress, ribbon
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - cute or anything Christmas
Di's Digis - add a sentiment
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Fussy and Fancy - bingo: flowers, buttons, dies OR distressing, lace, buttons
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Southern Girls - punches & dies (sentiment punch is by Jenni Bowlin and dies are by Spellbinders)
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - glitter and sparkle (stickles on die cut frame and for snow)
Creative Craft Cottage Digi - add a bow
Merry Christmas Ch - add a sentiment

I'll Never Forget

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie

Hello and Happy Friday to each of you! :)

I'm here today to bring a bit of Digi Bell sunshine into your day. Today is the day subscribers to Elisabeth's newsletters get super excited, because we know we have happy mail coming by way of a cutey free image courtesy of our own sweet benefactor! she so faithfully sends out the most adorable images every week to everyone who signs up for the fun newsletter. have YOU signed up for you free copy? click here for a super easy sign up and also a cool eBook that has some neat free images, too!

My card today uses a free image from a few weeks ago called 'Sally and Ellie.' This little girl with her elephant are as precious as can be! I found the perfect sentiment at Create with TLC to go with it, too. :) I added little flowers to her top with markers.

papers are from the Basic Grey Saturday Morning collection, doily was sprayed with several shades of glimmer mist, seam binding (distressed with a few shades of ink) is from Zipper Stop, and dies are by Spellbinders. gingham ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon. flowers are from both Wild Orchid Crafts and Michaels. buttons are from my vintage stash.

Be sure to join along in the current challenge we have going on, too. it's a fun theme of 'Buttons and Bows' - easy peasy for most of us. ;)

enjoy your weekend! Jennifer

Challenges:
Anything Goes with TLC - anything goes with an image by Create with TLC
Crafting Circle/Crafty Awesomeness - anything goes
Just Keep on Creating - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Creative with Stamps - add a sentiment
DL Art Oct linky ch - anything goes
Not Just Cards - anything goes

A Skull Wreath for Halloween

This is my second post for today. :)

I want to thank both Avril and Teri over at Delicious Doodles for having me as their Guest Designer this month! I was blessed to be a previous challenge winner from their fun blog, so they invited me to be a guest with them for October. isn't that fun?!

the theme for the month is Halloween, and while we don't typically celebrate this holiday, I couldn't let the opportunity go by to create a skull wreath card. doesn't everyone need a skull wreath as a decoration?! grins! maybe it's just those of us who happen to have a similar last name!

I started with the Skully Christmas Wreath image, printed it multiple times, popped up a few skulls on foam tape for more dimension, and then added it to my little mausoleum crypt. this was created with a Spellbinders die that I added embossin paste to a  Crafter's Workshop stencil.I inked the paste after it dried and then used my ink squirty tool.  another Spellbinders die adds the laurel at the top.

the grasses are a My Favorite Things die. pretty border die at the top is from Whimsy Stamps and sentiment comes from Create with TLC. orange satin ribbon is from SU! while orange twine is a Michael's find. paper is from Echo Park.

and while we're on the subject of skulls, since this is our last name, my sons decided that it was time we all got a family tattoo. so each one of us is getting a skull tattoo, unique to the individual. I had mine done last week. I also had a Winnie the Pooh one done on my arm to represent me with my sons. yes, I am the enigma - a skull and Winnie the Pooh all at the same time! :) but I love them both dearly!

Tyler had his tattoo done at the same time I had mine done. Mick had his done yesterday. I think it's neat that they all want to do something that unifies us as a family! :)

well, that's it for me.... all of you have a most amazing weekend! and I hope you get a chance to play along in the Delicious Doodles challenge this month. :)

Challenges:
Choux Choux Paper Art - Halloween linky party
Anything Goes with TLC - anything goes with a TLC image/sentiment

Funky and Fun Christmas Ornaments

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie :)

Today starts a new challenge over on Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog, so I hope you'll join us for some holiday fun! As always, we are sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps, so someone will win a gift certificate for some great images from their store. if you join along, that someone could be YOU! :)

For my card this month I am using this retro funky image called 'Christmas Ornaments' and giving it my own little spin. main image and matting dies are by Spellbinders while the banner die is by SU!  papers are from the Basic Grey Juniper Berry collection. pretty poinsettia is from Prima and seam binding, which I distressed with several shades of ink, is from Zipper Stop. some vintage buttons and a fun little piece of Christmas flair were also added. I used a clear spica glitter gel pen and wink of stella glitter pen on the main image to add lots of sparkle, and then a white gel pen on the matting die to add some fun highlighted dots.

thank you so much for popping over this Saturday morning. :) hang on and I'll have another post for you!!!

enjoy your weekend!

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - anything goes w/optional twist to create own bg
DL Art  Oct linky party - anything goes