Baby Girl Nature Journal Cover

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Thyme mint tea

Winner at Outlawz main challenge

Hello! I'm back after spending almost a week in Maryland with one of my sons and his family for Mother's Day. so wonderful to be with them, playing with granddaughters and enjoying their company. unfortunately I had troubles with my car, but they were able to help me find an excellent repair shop in the town where my car broke down. I was able to stop at one of our favorite antique stores as I was driving back. picked up several vintage items to use in journals. that's always a plus! :)  

Today I am sharing with you the cover of one of the baby journals. I have used Graphic 45 papers for the cover, adding a vintage baby card and advertising, postage stamps, woodland ephemera, tickets, and pretty trim. the spine is covered in a thin weave burlap for durability and to go along with the nature theme.

Now that I am back home, I'll be getting back to crafting again. trying to do as much as I can before the chaos of summer begins. I'll be working every day at camp, so not a lot of time to craft. 

have an amazing day!

Jennifer

Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft - anything goes

Crafting From the Art - anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore - anything goes

Daisy Chain - layer it up

Love to Craft - anything goes

Craft Rocket - not square

Outlawz - anything but a card

Outlawz main challenge - linked to anything but a card challenge

Fairy and Baby Accordion Tag

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Mango green tea

Hello!

Today's project is an accordion tag. This will fit into a pocket in the baby journal. I'm hoping to get my sewing machine out of the garage in the next week or two so I can start making pockets and the signatures for the journal.

The single fairy image is a freebie on the Gecko Galz blog. the image of 3 fairies is from the Gecko Galz Breath of Spring collage sheet. I used images from this same collage sheet on the altered envelope from last week.

papers are from Carta Bella and 49 & Market, in addition to some of my avocado dyed paper. vintage baby ephemera and clip art are also added. mulberry flowers and May Arts wrinkled ribbon, and hole reinforcement stickers finish the trifold tag.

I'll be back in a few days with more to share. I've been under the weather for a bit, so not getting as much crafting done as I would like.

thank you for stopping by! have an amazing day!

Jennifer

Challenges:

Gecko Galz - Fairy Lands

Sleep in Peace and Safety Baby Journal Card

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Earl Grey with lavender tea

Top 3 pick at Word Art Wednesday

I have another journal card for you today. it's for our granddaughter's baby journal. 

Sorry, but I can't remember where on the internet I found this beautiful image. the sentiment is from Word Art Wednesday. paper is from Graphic 45 and is the main collection I am using for this journal. 

I wanted to keep the focus on that spectacular image and the scripture, so I kept embellishments to a minimum - a seam binding tab, mulberry flowers, and a vintage button.

(photo editing made this paper much darker than it is irl)

the back side has a portion of a doily. I will be adding a photo of our granddaughter asleep in the hospital right after she was born. yep, my heart is melting! 

remember how very loved you are!

Jennifer

Challenges:

Word Art Wednesday - anything goes w/a sentiment

Boho Baby Journal Cover

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Mystery coffee (hubby made it this morning before leaving for an early breakfast meeting)

Hooray! another weekend is upon us!

as I work on several other projects, I thought I would share photos from journals I have previously made. I'll get pictures of more of the pages from the completed baby journals as I visit family over the next few months. 

This is the cover from our oldest granddaughter's journal. they had gone with a boho themed nursery, so I tried to incorporate that into the journal. 

the precious sleeping animal teepee image is surrounded by a painted chipboard frame, wooden heart, metal Tim Holtz arrow, mulberry flower, and real feathers. I am forever picking up feathers from the ground. I don't know the birds from which they come most of the time, but I do think they add a beautiful, natural touch to craft projects.

I try to incorporate as much actual vintage ephemera as I possibly can in the journals I make. that could be advertisements, book pages, sheet music, greeting cards, post cards, and of course beautiful vintage buttons. 

sharing what I have made in the past invigorates me to keep crafting. it's inspiring. do you feel the same way? do you ever go back and look at the things you have made?

I hope you have an amazing day, knowing that you are truly and deeply loved!

Jennifer 

Challenges:

Try it On Tuesday - make it feminine

613 Avenue Create - anything goes w/things with wings option (do feathers count?)

Little Red Wagon - include an animal (several sleeping critters at the tent)

As You Like It - favorite main color and why (PINK - as the mom of 3 boys, I really appreciate pink. it helped me maintain my femininity when surrounded by so much testosterone)

Creative Inspirations #36 - anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner - anything goes w/heart option (wooden heart)

Paper Funday - anything goes w/fur or feathers twist (both)

Outlawz - anything but a card

Bundle of Joy Journaling Card and Envelope

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Mint Thyme tea

It's the weekend! woohoo!

I'm sharing with you today a little repurposed envelope that holds a journaling card. it's to go in the baby journal for our granddaughter, Elowen. her journal will have a forest theme, with an emphasis on trees. her name is Cornish for elm tree. isn't that beautiful?

I've taken a piece of an envelope and turned it into a tuck pocket. the journaling cad is fairly blank on the other side so that a photo can be added. I'm currently thinking that this will also become a tuck spot, allowing for a larger piece of ephemera to be placed behind it. to do this would mean that the left side and lower edge would be adhered to the journal page. I'll know more once I get the actual pages made and the book bound.

the main collection of papers I will be using for this journal is from an older Graphic 45 set called Little One. I'll try to mention any other papers I use along the way.

Everyone have a fantastic weekend!

Jennifer

Challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft - anything goes

Crafter's Cafe - for the girls

Junk Journal July Day 30 - Favorite Quote

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Vanilla Nut coffee

Only two projects left for Junk Journal July! it's been so much fun using the prompts to create things for various journals. I hope you have had fun, too! :)

for more information about the challenge, please visit this post.

Today's prompt is 'Favorite Quote.' while I have several quotes that I really love, none of them seemed to fit any of the journals I am working on. 

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

you can see that it doesn't really work for a baby journal. tee hee! 

pocket on coffee dyed page

so I went for one of my absolute favorite quotes for babies: "Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains." (this can obviously be changed to 'him') this is for Tyler and Danielle's baby journal. Echo Park has a baby girl collection that uses this saying several times - on journal cards, stickers, etc. perfect!

individual items for pockets

I created a pocket to hold ephemera.  the edges were sewn and dried flower stickers accent. there is a long tag in the back pocket and the front one holds the journal card with the saying as well as an antique postcard. it dates to 1919 and is from Belgium. so cool! the image on the tag is from a digital baby set by Gecko Galz. a ticket serves as the tab, and it's finished with a vintage button. (added after the bottom  photo was taken)

thank you so much for stopping by today! take comfort in knowing that you are deeply loved. :)

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 17 - Go To Palette

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - a caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, and coconut blend coffee (a friend of ours so kindly sends me several coffees from a shop near her each year for my birthday. they have so many amazing flavors.)

Welcome back to another project for the Junk Journal July challenge, for more information about the challenge, please visit this post.

today's prompt is 'Go-To Palette'. it is no secret that I love  crafting with all shades of pink, especially the lighter tones. pair it with green, and I am one happy camper! :) so a project made with these colors fit perfectly for Tyler and Danielle's baby journal.  

CD envelope on page

as it would happen, Snap Click Supply had some papers and ephemera from the Carta Bella Flora no. 5 collection as part of their One Buck Wednesday sale. if you aren't familiar with Snap Click Supply, I suggest you check it out if you like digital products. every Wednesday they have several dozen different digital items on sale for $1 each. it's such a great deal! you can find the beloved, but sadly retired Basic Grey, older Prima Marketing, Carta Bella, Echo Park, and more.

 

flipped side of CD envelope

I wanted to also use a coffee dyed CD envelope. I knew the colors would look perfect attached to the coffee dyed pink paper that serves as the page. the envelope was completely sealed after adhering the pieces inside. I usually make a pocket of some sort out of these, but decided to leave it plain. I thought the back of the flip would be a great spot to add a photo. 

full journal spread. it blends so well with the page beside it. :)

the word 'baby' was stamped on one of the banners. a vintage button and some adorable teeny tiny butterfly stickers complete the project. 

thank  you so very much for visiting my blog today! you are so loved and appreciated! :)

Jennifer

Junk Journal July Day 7 - Bouquet

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Caramel Vanilla Hazelnut coffee

Hello and welcome back to another project for Junk Journal July! let me know in the comments if you are playing along. :)

for more information about the challenge, please visit this post.

Today's prompt is 'bouquet.' I may have stretched the theme a bit. there ARE flowers though. :D

I have created a tag using a junk mail postcard covered in coffee dyed paper as the base. I make up quite a few of these at a time so that I have them on hand. this is for Tyler and Danielle's baby journal.

papers are from Mintay Papers Joy of Life collection. I fussy cut pieces from the elements page and added a little fairy baby in a nest image. since their nursery is in a woodland animals theme, I am convinced that creatures from the fae world are in the forest, too. :) some dried flower pieces were added in addition to a bit of doily, ticket, and vintage button.  the word 'baby' is a die cut. my colors are a bit off, but it was cut from a piece of pastel pink cs.

I should also mention something regarding the quality of my photos. they are not the best, I know. with my tremors it is very difficult for me to take photos of decent quality. I shake so much that it is a challenge to take a picture that isn't blurry. my time on the computer is limited because of my seizures, so I can't always work on editing for as long as is needed. the basics are about all I can accomplish. I appreciate your understanding.

See you tomorrow! have a most amazing day!

Jennifer

She's Here! :)

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Spiced Macadamia coffee

image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

 Our precious grand-daughter arrived last weekend, on the Saturday before Easter. :)  She was born via caesarean section. Both mom and baby are doing well at home. Hubby and I planted a flowering dogwood tree in our backyard to honor this special moment. We hope to go visit them this coming weekend. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement as well as your prayers. Y'all are the best! :)

Show Me the Pink Challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Happy Friday to all of you ribbon lovers! it's been quite the week here at our house.  so happy to see that it's Friday at last! how about you? ready for the weekend?

well let's get it started off right with a fun new challenge over at the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog. it's all about pink with our theme of "Show Me the Pink!" adding ribbons and trims of course! :)

Our neighbor is expecting a new baby girl in the next few months, so it seemed the perfect time to make a card for her.

I used one of the pretty ribbons from this month's ribbon kit to make the big bow. I actually ordered more of this gorgeous  3/8" hot pink quatrefoil satin, and still only have a tiny smidge left after finishing this card. yep, time for another shopping trip! :)  vintage buttons were also added, with one being tied with pink burlap string.

the card is made with a fun template from Shape EZ, papers are from the Authentique Crush collection, and the adorable little baby card is a printable from Free Pretty Things for You.

When the gorgeous flowers don't quite matchy match the papers I'm using, it's super easy to watercolor them! I took one of the white magnolias and painted it several shades of pink. so very easy and lots of fun to do. a quick hit with the heat gun causes the flowers to dry super fast if you don't feel like waiting.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you play along in the challenge with all of us! :) and have a great weekend!

Challenges:
Outlawz Twisted Thurs - anything goes with baby/toddler twist
Crafting With an Attitude - anything goes
Crafty Girls Creations - anything goes
Little Miss Muffet - anything goes
Scrap & Craft - new beginnings
DRS Designs - color challenge
Crafty Gals Corner - new for you (new ribbons and papers!)
WAW - anything goes
Craftin' Desert Divas - shaped card
Crafty Boots - ribbon or lace
Crafty Cardmakers - new (this time I have it right!)
Crazy Ch - ribbons
Classy Cards 'n Such - buttons
Morgan's Art World - add ribbon
Crop Stop - anything goes with a product from their store (pink burlap string, Authentique)

Welcome Baby Boy!

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Nut

I was blessed to be asked as a Guest Designer over at Crafting with Dragonflies for their first Anniversary Celebration! in fact the theme for this fortnight is all about the Celebrations! :)  I so appreciate the honor of being included in this special time!

my card is for some special friends of our who just welcomed their first baby into the family, a little boy named Charlie. the image, 'Special Delivery,' is from Doodle Garden, papers from the Basic Grey Shine On collection, sentiment sticker by SRM, and ribbon by May Arts. some of the stars were punched from Starbucks coffee cozies and then inked with white craft. accents to main image were made with a white gel pen.

thank you so much for the many emails, messages, well wishes, and prayers. they mean so much to me. I know God has complete control over every part of my journey. y'all are the best! :)

Challenges:
Craft Room - recycle (Starbucks coffee cozies for stars)
Paper Minutes - stars
TTCRD - anything goes
Deconstructed Sketch - sketch #150
Aud Sentiments - any sentiment for a child
Craft for the Craic - for a baby
Creative Corner - baby
Digi Galore - kraft

Baby Boy Diaper Fold Card

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

I have to begin by apologizing for the quality of this photo. I tried my best to scan the card, but because of the puffiness of it, it just wouldn't scan properly. that left me with the only option of my phone. and all of you know how very shaky I am when it comes to taking pix. I did my best, but no amount of photoshop can fix the monkey behind the camera! ;)

anyway, this card was great fun to make, even if it did cause me a bit of grief from time to time. I found a wonderful diaper card template on Aly Dosdall's blog. That lady has some awesome talent! Part of the problem is my shaky hands. my tremors have gotten to the point I dread cutting anything out. but I did my best. I could go on and on about all of the mistakes I made on this card, but you don't want to hear about that. you put up with enough whining from me as it is. ;)   I'll just hope that our nephew and his wife can instead see the love we have for them and their new son each time they look at this card rather than all of the problems with it.

designer paper is My Mind's Eye Gnome Sweet Gnome, embossing folder is Cuttlebug Swiss Dots, cream ink is My Favorite Things, and fab buttons & linen thread are SU!  olive ric rack is from my stash, so I apologize that I don't know mfg.

Challenges:
Allsorts - all about the boy
Brown Sugar - anything goes
Challenges and Candies - embossing
Crafts 4 Eternity - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - baby
Cuttlebug Mania - dotty (swiss dots embossing folder)
TTCRD - anything goes
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Glitter 'n Sparkle - use some blue

Miracle of Life

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia Nut

Hello to each of you! I hope you are having a most lovely Wednesday!



Just a quick little baby card to show you today. We know several people who are expecting precious bundles of joy, so thought I would incorporate this beautiful image from Tammy's October Club Kit at A Day for Daisies into a card to present. the wonderful senti comes from Paulette at Create with TLC. papers are Prima Nursery Tales. buttons are from vintage stash, so nothing really fancy going on here, as it is for a boy and I have to take into consideration all of the rules my guys give me to follow! ;) but I did add a wee little white safety pin and millinery flower by the tag to create a bit of baby softeness.

Craft Your Passion - kraft
Crafts and Me - blue
Whimsy Inspiration - buttons
Digital Tuesday - buttons & twine
Jen's Digis - polka dots
Ladybug Crafts Ink - baby
Kraft Journal - anything goes with kraft

A very special card challenge over at Heart Song Designs

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macaroon

A very good morning to ya! It is absolutley glorious here - cooling temps, the birds singing their songs, sun peeking out from behind the whispy white clouds to say hello! just beautiful! :)

Yesterday started a new challenge at the Heart Song Designs blog, (my posts are always the next day since Mondays are pretty filled with other DT postings). The challenge is to incorporate animal images and/or paper/ribbon pleating on your projects. But the Design Team made cards to send out to Leah, the artist and magic behind Heart Song Designs. Leah and her family have been working for a while to adopt a wonderful little boy from Ethiopia. They just received the news last week that everything had gone through and they could go bring their new son home! So we decided to create some cards to send to congratulate them on this exciting new blessing God has added to their lives! :)


I chose this cutie little ellie holding a baby for my animal image. Paper piecing papers from the Togetherness collection by Cosmo Cricket added such a cute look to our elephant friend! the senti comes from Paulette at Create with TLC. I just had to add some fun sparkly blue polish to our elelphant's toenails since that is the color I am sporting on my toesies these days! ;) faux stitching and polka dots on the baby blanket were added with my white gel pen. more polka dots come in with the grosgrain ribbon. babies just seem to need polka dots, don't they?! giggles! finally, some layered Prima flowers, ruffled ribbon, and buttons finish the card.
Please play along in the challenge with us & stop by the blog to see all of the other cards Leah will be receiving! What a wonderful time in their lives! :)

Paper Shelter - real or faux stitching
Desert Island Crafters - paper piecing, ruffles, & stitching
KB Cute Monday - babies
Fussy & Fancy Followers Celebration - celebrate something (babies!)