Watercolor San Antonio Riverwalk

Winner at Eureka Stamps
Cards in Envy Favorite

Coffee of the Day - Dulce de Leche

I've been playing around in my craft room with my gelatos, watercolor paper, and digital images. it's so much fun to just get into an inky mess sometimes. :)

Problem is that photographs, at least mine, can't capture all of the sparkle, texture, and color of the actual image. in real life (irl) it is sooooooo cool!

I printed the San Antonio Riverwalk digi image from Eureka right onto my watercolor paper then went to town with both regular and metallic gelatos. I added details with my watercolors. the water has such a gorgeous shine that is hard to see in the photo.

papers are from the Basic Grey Dear Heart collection, linen thread and banner die are from SU!, sentiment stamp is from a company that is no longer in business, and sequins are from Lawn Fawn. ribbon snippets and vintage buttons are from my stash. acrylic paint edges the card base.

hope your weekend is off to a most fabulous start! thanks for stopping by! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Eureka - add some bling (metallic gelatos, sequins)
Outlawz Paper a la Mode - mixed media
A Beautiful Mess - anything goes
DRS Designs - it's a new day
Sisterhood of Crafters - birthdays
Cards in Envy - birthday
Dragon's Lair - anything goes

Hello Again and Happy September with a YEEHAW! :)

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (to celebrate being back to blogging again!)

Hello to all of you lovely peeps!  :)

I know I have been away from blogging for a bit. I took a little break toward the end of the summer, but am back again to say howdy! to put it plainly, Latte dying just took the stuffing right out of me.

I can't say that much eventful has been going on, unless you count numerous car repairs, hubby & I celebrating 29 years of marriage, and watching all 5 seasons of Downton Abbey as excitement. a lovely fall when the front porch stairs collapsed, but other than that, life is just rolling right a long. I hope all of YOU are right as rain!

I have been crafting while away, so will be showing some of those projects in the next few posts. My first project to share is one of the cowboy cards I promised back at the beginning of summer. I'll have another one in to show in a jiffy....

The images are by QKR Stampede and Eureka, papers are from the Carta Bella Giddy Up digital collection, burlap ribbon is May Arts, bark star is from Live and Love Crafts, while everything else is from my stash. inside is the verse that was used for the summer at Camp, Acts 1:8.

Thanks for hanging in there with me! I will try to start making my way around to your blogs in the next day or so. :) love ya oodles!
Jennifer

Challenges:
QKR Stampede - cowboys
Incy Wincy - anything goes
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Crafty Friends - use a sentiment
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - use a sentiment
Crafting with Friends - anything goes
Pile it On - friends/friendly hello
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Clear it Out - theme: anything goes, stash: anything goes (twine, buttons, ticket)
TTCRD - anything goes
Deep Ocean - For the Boys
Little Miss Muffet - one for the boys
Scribbles Designs - Boys Will be Boys

Bzzzz Bzzzzz - A Floral Thank You Note

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato

I am going to apologize in advance for the photo quality on this one, folks. hubby had to take it with him just as soon as I finished making it, so I barely had a chance to take the piccy. this is one of the cards I was asked to make by someone who works out at Camp. doing the other one today. I am a verrrrrry slow crafter. I am happy to get one card made in a day. :)

anyhow, I didn't have any guidelines to go by as far as whether this was to be girly, masculine, whimsical, or whatnot, so for me, when in doubt, go PINK! :) tee hee! not really, but that just happens to be what the end result turned out to be....

I so rarely know how a card or project is going to look when I first start crafting, so it's as big a surprise to me as it is to everyone else! ha!

the pretty floral thank you image is by Eureka, papers are from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie collection, grosgrain ribbon and vintage buttons are from my stash, and flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. the flower stamen and bee's wings were painted with shimmerz. I sure do love that stuff! :)

btw - if you happen to enjoy Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, Live and Love Crafts has a sale at their website to celebrate their birthday, but it ends today. hurry over to get 15% off your entire purchase!

and my birthday blog candy ends on Tuesday, so be sure you have entered!
I've started to get caught up on visiting blogs. if I haven't stopped by yours yet, I'll be there soon! :)

Happy Father's Day, You Silly Lumberjack Beaver!

Coffee of the Day - Caribbean Coconut Hazelnut

Well it's been a long time coming, but I finally have a card to show all of you. and boy was it ever tough to get made!

poor Mocha hasn't been doing very well since Latte died. she has never been alone in all of her 13 years, so if I try to go anywhere or do anything, she panics and starts to freak out. crafting has NOT been allowed, needless to say. I've tried leaving the door open in my craft room, but she won't come in. so this card was made in bits and spurts.

when I had all of my computer woes, as I went through my files cleaning things out, I realized I have a LOT of images I have never done anything with. this summer one of my goals is to remedy that! so you will be seeing some fun images that will hopefully either introduce to some long forgotten stores or remind you of some files you might have hidden in your computer, too. :)

(if you click on the photo, it will take you to another screen to see the card much larger)

my hubby loves to do woodwork whenever he has the spare time, (which isn't that often, sadly), so I combined the QKR Stampede carpenter beaver with a fun Tool Time template/cutting file I won over at The Cutting Cafe. I took a sentiment from Eureka and cut it apart - almost looks like this little guy got at it with his saw! tee hee!

digital paper is Prima Craftsman, burlap ribbon is May Arts, seam binding is SU!, buttons are from my stash, flower is Prima, belt loop is from a pair of shorts that were about to be tossed, and cardboard is re-purposed packaging.

the cardboard is actually on the inside of the card. seam binding was distressed with ink and wrinkled prior to tying bow.

here's a little tip for you regarding masculine cards - guys DO actually like flowers, believe it or not. they just don't want a LOT of them or frou frou ones covering their cards. stick with neutral colors or even better, those flowers made from fabrics, especially burlap. same goes with ribbon.

Thank you again for your loving comments about Latte and your patience as well. you make my heart so very happy! :)

be on the lookout for more crafty stuff coming soon. Mocha and I WILL get through this. ;) blog candy to post over the weekend, I hope!

Challenges:
Ribbon Girl - masculine project with ribbon (2 types of ribbon)
Creative Moments - anything goes with a masculine twist
Mod Squad - Father's Day
Paper Shelter - make it digital (paper, image, & sentiment)
Whimsy - use ribbon, lace, or twine (2 types of ribbon)
WAW - anything goes family friendly
Cardz 4 Guyz - Father's Day
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Father's Day
Loves Rubberstamps - masculine
TTCRD - anything goes
Top Tip Tues - cut it out (waving to my old teamies!!!)
Tuesday Throwdown - Mr. Handyman
Digi Galore - Father's Day with digis
Craft Dee BowZ - anything goes with handmade bow (sorry that it's hard to see the one loop of the bow)
Craftin' Desert Divas - masculine or Father's Day
Eureka - Father's Day
QKR - Father's Day
Get Creative - for the boys or Father's Day
Kraft Journal - anything goes krafty and masculine (kraft cs used)
Come and Get It - it's a guy thing
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes with men
That Craft Place - anything goes
Little Claire - Father's Day
Creative Corner - just for boys
Jo's Scrap Shack - Father's Day
Left of Center - for the boys
Simply Create Too - masculine
Simply Papercraft - anything goes
Sister Act - any card goes
DL Art Thankful Thurs - for a man or boy

Rockin' the Pink Cowboy Boots!

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato

Well I was finally able to get into my craft room and get one card made. still a bajillion to go, but at least I am off to a start! :) seems as if my 'honey do' card list just keeps getting longer rather than shorter as the days go by....

Since we have a theme at Camp this summer of 'Go West', all of the cards you'll see me post will be of a western theme.

Today's card uses a fun image by Mayzy Art that was actually created for the group over at The Outlawz. I'm no longer a member, but am a huge fan of Mayzy's work. she has some great fan art if you like that sort of thing. you KNOW I do. ;) check out her freebies page, too.

the nature/landscape images are from Eureka. I am using these so so much! you will probably grow weary of seeing them on all of these western projects, but they really do add so much character!

Papers are from the Carta Bella Giddy Up Girl digital collection, buttons are vintage, linen thread is by SU!, pink grosgrain ribbon is from my stash, rose is Wild Orchid Crafts, and bark star is from Live and Love Crafts. those fancy schmancy boots are cut with a Spellbinders die. as soon as I saw it, I knew I really needed to have it! I have this thing about cowboy boots with my crafting...guess it goes back to always needing to put my brave boots on! :)

Hubby was really nice and took the photo for me. on top of the seizures which won't seem to go away, I had some other yuck happen today that has knocked me out for the count. hope it doesn't keep me down too long. I have GOT to get more crafting done! ;)

hope to be back soon with more projects if my health allows. and yes, I WILL get to your blogs one day. really really!

love to all of you! Jennifer

p.s. the inside has also been decorated. I printed out the verse Acts 1:8, which is the verse for Camp this summer. I used a western style font, distressed the edges, and then sprayed it with 2 shades of glimmer mist. sorry there isn't a photo. will try to get one of the next card made.

Challenges:
Crafty Time - girls, girls, girls
Cards Galore Encore - any card goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
CCC Digi Creations - layer it up
Pile it On - focus on coloring (watercolor)
Paper Creator's Crafts - anything goes
Sisters of Craft - anything goes
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
WAW - anything goes/family friendly
Clear it Out - anything goes stash item: vintage buttons & ribbon
Digi Choosday - use kraft cardstock (card base)
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Not Just Cards - anything goes
Come and Get It - distress it (paper distressing and ink)
Quirky Crafts - put your quirky shoes or shirts on (well I've got my boots! grins!)
Corrosive Ch - anything goes
Little Claire - outdoors
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Sister Act - any card goes

Thanks, Pardner!

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread (yeah, not really appropriate for the season, but it sure does taste good!)

My family leaves tomorrow to attend a reunion in eastern PA. I'm not well enough to go along with them, but I am so very happy they get to go! it has been years since Dave last saw his mom, so this is a pretty big deal - well worth a 6 hour drive for them. I know they are going to have a wonderful time!

while they are gone, some friends of ours are coming in to work the kitchen at Camp. Dave wanted me to make a thank you card he could leave for them. this cutey turtle image from QKR Stampede seemed perfect!

I added several of the landscape digi images from Eureka Stamps to help complete the little scene. You'll be seeing these quite a bit in upcoming posts. our theme for this summer at Camp is 'Go West,' and I am making cards for not only my family, but a few others who will be working there, too.

I used digital papers from the Carta Bella Giddy Up collection. burlap ribbon is by May Arts while the red satin is more from the Really Reasonable Ribbon May Club kit that I won. sentiment was computer generated, buttons are from my stash, and flower is by Petaloo. I added a bit of faux cross stitching to the sides of the paisley paper. a touch of shimmerz paint on the dinner bell along with an arrow die cut complete the card.

I hope to get around to everyone's blogs this weekend to say hello. I'm still trying to do a bit of work on my computer. little bits here and there, but it's almost finished! hooray! :)

Challenges:
Digi Sketch - sketch and theme of fave color combo (can't ever go wrong with a patriotic red, white, and blue!)
Eureka - for the boys
Crafter's Cafe - one for the boys
Double Click - Father's Day or project for man
Inky Impressions - ribbon or lace (ribbon from May Arts & Really Reasonable Ribbon)
Mod Squad - masculine
WAW - anything goes family friendly
Fan-tastic Tues - anything goes with texture
TTCRD - anything goes
Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards - say thank you
Crafty Ribbons - men and ribbon
CRAFT - Father's Day/male
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes

Patriotic Puppy

Coffee of the Day - Irish Cream

Hooray! I was able to get into my computer files and get crafty today!!! you can't begin to imagine just how happy that makes me! :)  while not among the major things in life to get worked up about, I still wasn't too excited to lose all of my files if I wasn't able to get the files retrieved from the external hard drive....

so on to my card ~

I used this cutey Patriotic Puppy image along with the Declaration of Independence saying, both from Eureka Stamps. (although I used the digi versions) most of the papers are from the Authentique Pride collection. I must say that Authentique has the very coolest patriotic papers, and I frequently use all of them together. I hoard what I do have like a miser. a new collection is coming out soon, so I am very excited about that! :)

the sentiment portion was first sponged and then sprayed with 2 shades of glimmer mist. as you can see, I made a shaker card out of it. a bit of re-purposed packaging works perfectly as the shaker top! the neat wooden bark star at the top comes from Live and Love Crafts. (psssst..... they have a sale going on right now!!!) the denim belt loop is just a fun bit because nothing personifies the spirit of America like a pair of blue jeans! :)

to those of you here in the States, have a safe Memorial Day weekend. I hope to be back tomorrow with another project to share. see you then! :)

Challenges:
Eureka - shaker card
DeConstructed Sketches - sketch #201
Open Minded Crafting - Inspired by a Song (it has to be the Star Spangled Banner!)
Sister Act - any card goes
Crafting by Designs - sentiments
Fresh Brewed Designs - red, white, and blue
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
WAW - anything goes family friendly
Scribbles Designs - 'B' is for.... (blue, buttons, bark, belt loop, bandanna on pup) also waving hi to my former teamies!!!
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Top Tip Tues - animals (waving hi to my former teamies here, too!)
Craft and Smash - animal

I Zentangled.... and I'm a Dragonfly! :)

I have a new Design Team to announce to you this evening..... I am a Crafty Dragonfly! you'll have to bear with me as I adjust to the time zone difference between here and the blog location. I'll have to remember to post on my blog Tuesday evenings from here on out.... grins!

anyhow, I know this challenge blog is going to stretch me in ways I might fuss about, but boy will I ever learn some great new techniques! the new challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies this fortnight is Zentangle. Our sponsors are Bugaboo and Eureka.

I admit I had never tried this before. never really cared for the look all that much, but I put those brave boots on and jumped right in! if you've never tired Zentangling before, I think it's pretty important to have a fine point marker. I was using an extra fine point Sharpie, but that wasn't really as fine as I think it should be if you are going to do this very often.

I originally made 2 ATCs, but then was reminded that this challenge was for cards only, so I added the ATCs to card bases. some distressing and doodling on the bases helped keep the focus on the main images.

This ATC and card uses the Bugaboo 'Beauty Butterfly' image. bg for both ATCs was created with the Crafter's Workshop Mini Fish Scales stencil, black gelato, and graphite glimmer mist.  this one was also sprayed with Mr. Huey's white mist. each card was matted with a distressed piece of black cs. the butterfly is popped up on foam tape, mounted over vintage black lace next to a Prima rose. handmade black enamel dots simulate the flight of the butterfly. the same graphite glimmer mist was sprayed on the white card base.

This ATC and card uses the Eureka 'Stained Glass Sun' image. small leaf flourishes, May Arts ribbon, and a Prima flower were added to the ATC. handmade enamel dots and some doodles on the card base finish the card. sentiments on both were created with my label maker.

I do hope you will give this new technique a try. I have SO MUCH respect for those artists who can do this. sadly, I am not one of them. tee hee!

Challenges:
Wicked Wed. ATC - black, white, and one other color (ATCs only - grey/silver is other color)
Outlawz Greeting - monochromatic (cards)
Fan-tastic Tues - anything goes (cards)
TTCRD - anything goes

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