Create it Green Sketch time!

I'm a wee bit early with my post for Create it Green's monthly sketch challenge, but I don't want it to interfere with tomorrow's Pink Saturday post. ( we must type this very very quietly, but there isn't even an itsy bitsy bit of pink on this card..... shhhhhh.... we must keep this tip top secret......)

I am using this fun new bee by Rich Davis for Squigglefly being released tomorrow. isn't he fun?! Deanne came up with a great sketch this month for the challenge. you know that we are to use any kind of recycled or repurposed items on our cards. The sponsor for this month at CIG is Green Way ribbons. That fabby grosgrain ribbon is actually made from recycled plastic bottles. isn't that so cool?! The corrugated cardboard in the corners comes from one of my Starbucks coffee cup cozies. The tulle mesh in the flower comes from my shower scrunchy that is slowly falling apart. rather than throwing the bits away, I am saving them for crafting! :) The papers are K & Co. Wild Raspberry that my wonderous friend Holly so kindly sent me this week to make sure I never ever run out! isn't that just so nice of her?! talk about being blessed! the bee's black stripes and the flower center are painted with shimmerz.

Now just a quick note while on the subject of blessings -

in the past few weeks I have had the great honor and privilege to have some cards and projects win challenges across blogland. I have to say that I am humbled by the recognition for my crafts, but the glory goes to God alone, not me. He is the one who pours out blessing upon blessing, every single day. I am constantly amazed at His goodness. and so I say thank you. and thank you to each and every one of you who put up with me and my goofiness. love ya!!! :)

Pink Elephant - yellow, buttons, and DP

Cupcake Crafts - buttons

Quixotic - DIY flowers

Character Cafe - recycle and reuse

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 Valentine Blog Hop with Create It Green!

Coffee of the Day - Butter Toffee

Hello! Today is a wonderful day - full of beautiful snow covered trees. I love to see how it glistens and shines as each ray of sun hits the branches! sigh...... God is in His heaven and all is right with the world! :)

Well today is the day of the Create it Green Valentine Blog Hop! Everyone is encouraged to find some way to use recyclyed, repurposed items in their creations. So if you have hoppity hopped here from the *FABBY BLOG OF ROBIN* then you are right on track! make sure that you are keeping track of the words you collect for the word search game. and while you are hopping away, consider joining the yahoo group. It is open to anyone who loves to craft! I am a new member myself, but am having a ball so far!

I have 2 cards that I would like to show you today, each using items that you might find around your house. Keep your eyes open for the possibilites of how an everyday item can be turned into a card accent or embellishment! It becomes a challenge or adventure to see how you can use it! :)

Both cards use new images from Squigglefly and work with The Pink Elephant pink challenge.

My first card is a cute little shy bear from Lynne Stansbery. I took a pastry bag from Starbuck's (where else?! grins!), punched out the logo, and then cut a strip from the top of the bag. This was then ruffled to make the trim across the bottom. I adhere mine with red line tape - so easy peasy. I left some of the words showing, whcih I think gives the border more character. The spunky paper comes from K & Co. Greenhouse. Added a few buttons and ric rac trim. This card also qualifies for several challenges. Eat, Sleep, Stamp - sketch ; Cute Card Thursday - Spots & Dots ; Cupcake Crafts - 4 legged & Furry.

My next card uses another Lynne Stansbery image, Wine and Grapes. I took the labels from a bottle of wine (Merlot for my friend, Stef! grins!) and used them as card elements. The cork I then cut into thin slices to use for buttons. The papers are from the K & Co. Charlotte collection. Here the sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches.

Now my word for the hop is RIDE. be sure to add that to the ones you are already collecting. so hop on along over to the wonderful *BLOG OF ALEXA*!!!! and don't forget to leave some comment love along the way. it sure does brighten everyone's day!

p.s. the creator of the amazing blog - Create it Green - has received word that she and her family are needed at the hospital ASAP for her MIL. Please lift this family up in your prayers. We all know that God is mighty and loving and can do all things. thank you so much!

Create it Green with Squigglefly! :)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia

Good morning! Happy Saturday to ya!

I have to start off this post by giving Deanne of Create It Green a ginormous apology....... yesterday was the first challenge of the year and I was late with my submission. no excuse other than I had my dates wrong. whack-a-doodle here thought it was supposed to be due on Monday. nope, it was to post yesterday. and Deanne is such a trooper. never in all of my time on DTs have I ever mixed up dates like that. I have been sick and not been able to make a project, but never have I been so lost in space that I completely got my dates wrong. must have been visiting Pluto, although I still can't used to the idea that it is no longer a planet..... what a blow to the self-esteem...... floating through space - thinking you are king of the universe, or at least the 9th wonder of the solar stystem, and BAM! you get knocked down to a moon, or a star, or whatever they call it these days....... but I digress...... I must have been out there offering some encouragement or something 'cause I sure didn't have my head on straight!

Check out the neat sketch that Deanne has created and be sure to play along! I have created 2 cards for this challenge - mainly because I felt so bad about my big mess up.... Both cards use new release digis from Squigglefly.

The first card uses the Shy Bear Morning Paper Bear image. I paired it with papers from the Basic Grey Indian Summer collection. I thought it would be fun to use some actual newspaper bits on the card, so I punched some circles, crinkled them a bit, and then did some distressing with caramel ink. 3 went down the side as shown in the sketch, while 2 were used to make the fun lollipop embellie. I did flip the elements on the sketch a bit, putting the sentiment, a rub on from SU!, at the bottom. you know I din't really do any sewing, but there is a bit of the 'X' factor in the buttons! grins! the twine for the buttons is some of the twine I save from our big dog food bags. I use this stuff all the time! The donuts on the main image have been painted with pink shimmerz. I think every guy loves sprinkle donuts! :D The card base is more of my coffee paper. I haven't shown any of this in a while - coffee grounds sprinled on cs, allowed to dry, and then dusted off into the garden or compost.

My next card uses 2 new digis, Growing Love and I Heart You. The paper is Basic Grey Euphoria. The pink paper for the heart and border is actually the re-purposed portion of the project. It was a manilla type paper that was wrapped around something (I think a candle) that I had purchased a while back as it was being packaged to put in the shopping bag. I saved the paper thinking I would do something with it. Ta Da! I sprayed it with 2 coats of rose tea glimmer mist prior to punching. It really shines irl! Of course every little girl needs shiny shoes and bows,, so these were painted with pink shimmerz. The flower is by Prima. Now I will have you know that I actually sewed on this card - yes, shock of all shocks! some of you are actually picking yourselves up off the floor right about now. don't expect it again anytime soon though...... grins! I do it about as often as I iron..... once or twice a year.

Please try to play along with the Create it Green challenge! it really is fun to see how you can re-use different things on your papercrafting projects. and tonight is a Pajama Party with Squigglefly over on SNR! lots of fun and games, to please join us there!

Have a great weekend! love to you!

Jennifer

Longhorns, Mice, and Bouncing bunnies!

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice in honor of my Texas Longhorns

I am starting off my blog post in a most unusual way today. I have 2 cards to show you, and will most certainly get to that, but I need to share something with you first. I want to tell you how very proud I am to be a Texas Longhorn. I watched the Rose Bowl last night. Sure, I wanted the Longhorns to win. Sure, I cheered for them throughout the entire game, disappointed in the turnovers and interceptions, sad that Colt McCoy was injured at the game's start. But I saw a team pull together last night to rally around a young man, Garret Gilbert, a freshman quarterback who had no intention of taking over the position from his mentor in the National Championship football game. I saw what it truly means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, not just talk the talk. I have read Colt McCoy's testimony of his faith in God. It is awe-inspiring. His answer to the question of "what were you feeling while you watched the game?" in the post game commentary moved me to tears. This man gave a testimony that we should all aspire to. He thanked God for everything, recognized the efforts of the other team, saying that even though he couldn't fathom the reasoning behind all that had happened, he truly trusted God for it all. and in just a short while he hugged opponent Mark Ingram, congratulating him on his team's win. That is what it means to be a Christ follower. not just say it, but really live it.

okay on to the cards.......

I am using some of the new images released last week at Squigglefly. New ones will be coming out tomorrow, so be sure to check back here for a few peeks!

My first card uses a cute little Proud Papa mousie. Stef has started the color challenges over at SNR, so head over to play along. The colors this time are chocolate, turquoise, and olive/artichoke. My papers here are from October Afternoon. Since I had mentioned to you before that I am really wanting to do a lot of re-using/repurposing with my crafting, I decided to pull out these little strips of packing material. I tied them together with the turq. baker's twine and added a button from Making Memories. The sentiment is a rub-on that is also from Oct. Afternoon. Check out the blog at Create it Green for lots more ideas on how to use recycling on your papercrafting projects. I will have several projects there in the next few days. The challenges will start up soon, too! :)

The next card I made in honor of all of my friends who seem to not be feeling so well lately. Know that I am praying for all of you!! I kept this pretty gender neutral, 'cause I'm not sure just which one I'm sending it to yet. The digi is called Get Your Bounce Back. I am sorry I don't know who made the papers, as they are from my old stash..... another thing I had mentioned I wanted to do! :D These buttons are also Making Memories. The card size is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square. I am using this for a challenge I discovered from my friend Sue of Sue's Sentiments. The challenge is over at Clearly Delightful and is to use a bunny on your creation.

Hope you are having a terrific day! love to you all!

Jennifer

A Get Well Squirrel

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Holy Toledo, Batman, do you realize it has been almost a week since I last posted?! shame shame shame on me! Well hopefully now that the holidays are over and there are no more icky yucky blechy trips to the hospital for tests on the horizon, things will settle back down to the normal chaotic hum of life around here. ;) don't get me wrong - Christmas has a LOT of meaning, but goodness, we let it get so crazy sometimes. and the people at the hospital and doctors' offices are very nice, but gosh oh me, I am so tired of going for tests and stuff. so there. back to crafty fun time! as Cptn. Jon Luc Picard says, "Make it so......" giggles! yep, there is that nerdy side coming out in me again......

On to the card for today......

I found a neat challenge blog called The Sweet Stop and it is sponsored by Sweet n Sassy Stamps. I decided to play in this week's challenge, as I found I needed a get well card. A dear blogging and crafting friend, Stef of Glitterbabe Greetings, let us know Christmas Eve that her husband had been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack. All around the crafting community people have been gathering together to pray for them. Hopefully Clyde will be coming home today, but there had been a few complications that arose while he was in the hospital. Stef has just the brightest outlook and has been trusting that her dear hubby is resting in God's healing hands this entire time. Well, we all know that, but it can still be a lonely time, and a scary one, too. So dear sweet Holly over at the Squigglefy SNR forum decided to host a challenge for people to create get well cards for Clyde. I was gonna make one anyhow, but wanted to do my part to rally around. Isn't it cool how people from different stamping companies, etc. can come together to just love on someone?! man, that is the love of Jesus in action right there for ya! gives me goosebumps thinking about it! and makes my heart sing LOUD!!!! :)

So here is my creation. Had to keep the frills and frou frou to a minimum, but wanted it to be a little fun also. Used the squirrel digi from The Rusty Pickle and typed out a sentiment. Did some repurposing of materials on here as well. The leaves in the upper right hand corner were actually punched from a Starbuck's coffee cozy I had saved and wrinkled prior to punching. The twine in the buttons came from a bag of dog food. papers are Making Memories.

By the way, while on the subject of recycling, repurposing, & re-using, last night I was honored to receive an invitation from none other than Deanne Burton herself to become a member of her card DT at Create It - GREEN. There will be challenges and other fun things coming up in the new year, so be on the look out! I am very excited about this, as doing a lot of repurposing is at the top of my resolution list for 2010.