Peace on Earth Sitting Angel

Coffee of the Day - Creamy Chestnuts

I'm back again! 2 posts in 2 days! that's a record of late. :) still haven't been able to get to my craft room, but at least I have some things to show those of you who are stopping by my blog. I am so thankful to my faithful followers who leave me such beautiful and encouraging comments! love to each of you!!!!

I'm finally getting a chance to share my project for the new challenge over at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra, sponsored as always by Bugaboo. you can link all of your Christmas cards for a chance to win a fabulous gift certificate to the Bugaboo store!

for my card I have used the precious Angel Girl Sitter image and painted her a brick chimney to sit upon.  the digital papers are, I believe, from Far Far Hill. I forgot to write down the name after I printed them off the way I usually do. the sheet music is "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

shimmerz paint was added to the angel's wings and halo while a clear spica gel pen adds sparkle to the bg. pretty pink seam binding was distressed & is from Zipper Stop, glitter rose is from Michael's, and other flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. buttons and lace are from my vintage stash. sentiment stamp is by Shady Tree Studio. main image die and pink die behind it are by Spellbinders.

I hope you have a most amazing day! :) thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges:
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Deep Ocean - bingo: buttons, flowers, sentiment
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Crafty Cardmakers - layers
Love to Scrap - flower power
Christmas Cards All Year Round - shabby chic or monochromatic
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - vintage or anything Christmas
Happy Little Stampers Christmas - song (Hark the Herald Angels Sing)
Paper Creator Crafts - Christmas
Sparkles Christmas - angels or fairies
Christmas Card Ch - anything Christmas goes
Jingle Belles - music
Broken Fairy - anything goes w/optional twist of things with wings
A Gem of a Challenge - ribbon, lace, or twine (ribbon and lace)
Di's Digi Designs - anything with wings

Dance, Ballerina

Outlawz Sketch Wednesday Showcase & Monthly Winner
Winner at Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wednesday
Winner at Morgan's Art World Facebook Page

Hurrying to post this card before a challenge deadline.... that's me.... sliding in by the seat of my pants! thought I had until the end of the month. nope! ;)

The 'Ballerina' image by Morgan's Art World was offered for several days as a freebie over in their Facebook group. it can be found now for a special price in the store.

I paired it with digital papers from Far Far Hill and a sketch from The Outlawz. flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, vivid pink seam binding is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, pink lace is from Michaels, sentiment is by Create with TLC, and buttons are from my vintage stash.

I sprayed some white Mr. Huey's over the card before adhering the main image. small pearls were added below the sentiment. flower centers on the main image were dotted with a pink spica glitter pen.

I'll be back tomorrow with another card to share with all of you. see you then! :)

Challenges:
Morgan's Art World - monochromatic
Outlawz Wed - sketch (turned on side)
Craft Rocket - pink and pearlie (pearls on sentiment portion and 2 of the buttons are mother of pearl)
Digital Delights by Louby Lou - anything goes
Paper Shelter - pearls (pearls on sentiment portion and 2 of the buttons are mother of pearl)
Simon Says Stamp Wed - anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Crafty Boots - monochromatic
Come and Get It - glitter and bling (glitter pen used on flower centers of main image)
Sweet Stampin' - pink and girly
Pause Dream Enjoy Linky Party - anything goes

What is a Weekend?

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (my all time fave flavor!)

My second post for the day, it's time for a new challenge over at Crafts Galore Encore. Our theme this month is 'Make a Card.' easy peasy, right? our sponsor is the fabby Kenny K! you know you want to win some of those distinctive images!

I am a HUGE fan of Downton Abbey. have you ever watched it? even my hubby loves the show. we will be quite sad when the last episode airs this coming Sunday. so my card today is somewhat a tribute.

The Dowager makes me smile every time she is on screen. she truly has some of the best lines. as I was researching some of her quotes, I giggled when I came across this one. of course my mind thought them all in her voice.... you have to put the accent on the last syllable of the word 'weekEND' just as she did.

I used the images 'Valet' and 'Dowager Countess' on my card. digital papers are from Far Far Hill, flowers & leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts, buttons are from my vintage stash, and pink wired grosgrain is also a stash item.

the gorgeous die along the side is by Find It Trading, main image die is from SU!, and little banner is a punch from SU! also. lace is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I do hope you will join our fun challenge! thank you so very much for stopping by my blog. enjoy your day! :)

Challenges:
Inky Chicks - ribbon and/or lace
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Crafty Boots - something for the lady
Outlawz Mon Greeting - anything goes with a sentiment
Creative Craft Cottage - pearls and/or lace
Natalie and Amy - fancy borders

Altered Table Decoration for Thanksgiving

Winner at My Sheri Crafts

Coffee of the Day - Dulce De Leche

Happy Monday to all of you! and a big hello to my newest followers as well. :)

I have a fun Thanksgiving project to share with you today. it's part 2 of the gift set I began showing you last week on this post.

I mentioned that I am notorious for saving ribbon scraps. what I didn't say was that I save all kinds of things for my crafting. my project for today shows you how fun it is to re-purpose everyday items found around your home! :)

The base to this decoration is actually an almond can. the top 2 pieces are old ribbon spools that were spray painted white. Miscellaneous ribbons, Wild Orchid Crafts flowers, vintage buttons, digital scrapbook paper (from Far Far Hill), burlap and silk leaves, and foam fruit decorate the tower. touches of various stickles add sparkle and shine.

I'll fill this with a yummy nut snack mix and then hubby will give it to some friends of ours this week.

I hope you are inspired to create something fun of your own with things you have around your house! Really Reasonable Ribbon has so many gorgeous trims and ribbons to add the perfect touch! :)

Ribbons and trims used:
tower - autumn diagonal striped grosgrain, delicate stitched satin old gold, wired woven check brown/white, seam binding dusty olive, burlap string orange
card - silky crush olive, shimmer satin tangerine with gold, autumn diagonal striped grosgrain

Wild Orchid Crafts flowers:
10 mm open roses, 15 mm open roses, cosmos, cherry blossoms, rosebuds

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Challenges:
Dragonfly Dreams - fall colors
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
My Sheri Crafts - Happy Thanksgiving
Catch the Bug - bingo: button, texture, flower
Art by Miran - anything goes
Simply Papercraft - anything goes
Whimsy Inspires - anything goes holidays
Kraftin' Kimmie Wonderful Wed - anything goes

A Pumpkin Shaped Card with Shabby Bow

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Hello, all of you ribbon lovers!

Today I have a cute pumpkin shaped card to share with all of you. it's actually part of a gift set. I'll be sharing the other portion with all of you next week.

My husband and sons will quickly agree with me when I tell you that I save even the smallest ribbon snippets. (I save LOTS of neat things to use on my projects, but that would be enough for another post entirely! grins!)

Have you ever cut the tail from one side of a bow that was just a smidge too long? yes, I save those. or maybe you have a piece a few inches long from the beloved piece of crochet trim that started out many yards long, but you've been using portions and parts on specials projects.

I keep all of those pieces on my craft desk so that can come to life again in what can easily be called 'shabby bows.' just gather the small pieces and tie them into your bow. it's so easy to do, but adds such a pretty, shabby chic look to your project!

Here I have used the Autumn Diagonal Stripe Grosgrain from Really Reasonable Ribbons to tie pieces of  Silky Crush Olive ribbon and Tangerine Shimmer Satin with Gold.  I also added a variety of flowers by Wild Orchid Crafts - cosmos, 10mm open roses, 15 mm open roses, and rose bud.

digital papers are by Far Far Hill, digi image is no longer available, but was from Whimsy Stamps, pumpkin card template is by Shape EZ by TLC, doily die is from Sizzix, and leaf flourish die is from Cheery Lynn. both the actual doily and the doily die cut were sprayed with kraft glimmer mist. the milk cap and buttons are vintage. sunflower centers on main image are covered in distress stickles.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I'll see you next week with the rest of this gift set. :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Dream Valley - shaped cards
Ribbon Girl - use any image
Scrapper's Delights - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - tic tac toe (bow, die, flowers)
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Polkadoodles - autumn/fall colors
The Stamping Boutique - fall
Cute Card Thurs - birds or animals (little crow on scarecrow's shoulder)

I'm Going Batty over this FUN News!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut Creme

Today I get to share with you some most amazing news - I have been accepted onto the Really Reasonable Ribbon Design Team!!!!!

if you have ever been to the RRR blog or played along in the challenges, then you know that this team contains some of the most talented people in all of crafty land! that they would want little ol' me just knocked my ever lovin' socks right off! I probably screamed and squealed loud enough to startle the folks in Canada when that email message came through. ;) thanks to Bonnie for giving me the chance! :)

to start off my term in proper fashion, I have a little project to share with you.

several weeks ago I won some cute dies by Lawn Fawn, courtesy of Lori at Choux Choux Paper Art. I thought they would make great treats to give/send to friends and family for Halloween.

using free  digital papers I found at Far Far Hill, I die cut the pillow box bat bodies and bat wings. faces and ears were cut from solid black cs and then googly eyes were added for a fun touch. edges were distressed with black ink before assembling. little goodie bags filled with Harvest M&M's are inside.... yum yum! :)

the bats are decorated with orange burlap string, black burlap string, orange plaid ribbon with black stitching, Gladys black crochet lace, and Catherine white crochet lace.

some of the little bats were packaged together in cellophane gift bags tied with itsy bitsy spider grosgrain ribbon. I love the way it looks as if their wings are covering their eyes for a game of hide 'n seek! :)

Please be sure to stop by the RRR blog to say a big hidey ho to all of the Design Team members! check out the store for some wonderful ribbons, too. they are sooooooooo lush! :)

A Lovely Little Hobbit Home...

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato (buttery caramel flavor with a touch of vanilla)

Well yesterday I hinted about a special guest we have coming to stay this holiday weekend and said that I would tell all today..... The card I am sharing was made for her. :)

yes, it's a her. I know some of you thought that one of my sons might be coming home, but no, that is not the case. Mick is still happy as a clam oh, so far away, but studying what he absolutely loves. Ryan is in Indiana getting ready for classes to begin next week....

but Tyler has a lovely guest coming to visit. :) they met while working at Camp this summer and share a love of LOTR, amongst other things. even though she lives in PA, she goes to school about 2 hours away from us (about 1 hour from Tyler's school).

so I made this card for him to give to her as Camp came to an end. I was so happy when he said that she loved it. :) the first thing she said was, "My very own Hobbit House!"

the Hobbit House is by Lavinia Stamps. I stamped it 3 times, cutting out smaller portions to layer for added dimension. the top layer - the door alone - was sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist and touched up with a grey souffle pen. a homemade enamel dot was added for the door knob.

digital papers are by Far Far Hill, flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts, crochet trim is from stash, brown satin ribbon is May Arts, floral flair button is Basic Grey, and buttons are vintage. washi tape at top is Tim Holtz and was lightly inked prior to adhering. oh yes, the banner was cut with a SU! die.

I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend!

Challenges:
Crafting With an Attitude - anything goes
Creative Craft Cottage - anything goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - anything goes with girly girl twist
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Sweet Stamps - anything goes
Craft Dee Bow Z - anything goes with a handmade bow
Quirky Crafts - Home Sweet Home
Cupcake Inspiration - photo inspiration and layers

Look for the Small Miracles

Coffee of the Day - Maple Walnut

Today I am sharing a long adored stamp - 'Lavender Bouquet' from the Gruffies line by House Mouse. I have a thing about fresh lilacs. I guess because I used to pick them from the bushes when I was a little girl. there scent is one of my most faves. mine will soon be blooming, and I am so excited! :)

I used some free digital paper from Far Far Hill, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, a precious sentiment by Paulette at Create with TLC, vintage buttons, dies by Spellbinders (main image and sentiment) as well as Cheery Lynn (leaf flourish), some gorgeous floral trim that I can't for the life of me remember where I purchased, manilla tag, satin ribbon, and a little kraft bag that I am re-purposing. the lilacs have accents with a wink of stella glitter pen. little banners along the edge were made with a punch by SU!

card edges were painted with acrylic paint. this is a large card to accommodate the large stamp size. I have left the tag blank for now. will add a sentiment or hand written message once I decide who it is going to. might even adhere a gift card to the tag with glue dots if I am so inclined. :)

Take care, and I hope your week is going well so far!

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - sketch 131 with a sentiment
Gruffies and Guests - die cuts
Die Cuttin' Divas - water a flower day
Top Tip Tues - animals
Stamp and Create - May Flowers
Fashionable Stamping - old favorite (it's been many years since I last used this fun stamp!)
Glitter 'n Sparkle - use some ribbon
Great Impressions - celebrate spring
Dragon's Lair - bouquet of flowers
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes/spring fever
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - photo insp (bear)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Paper Creator's Crafts - animals
Sisters of Craft - anything goes

and They Call It Puppy Love! Happy Valentine's Day!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Cherry Almond

Yesterday I was able to deliver Valentine goodies to Mick and Brutus. we picked up Tyler, who was between classes, and headed out for lunch. what a glorious time together!

again, sorry for the lousy card photo, but I am trying to get better - I promise!

LOVE the pix of Mick and Brutus!

image is from The Doodle Garden, digital papers are by Far Far Hill, burlap ribbon is May Arts. everything else is from my stash. dog was colored to look like Brutus, of course! lots of distressing on this one. also a touch of faux stitching.

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU, dear friend!

isn't that the cutest? they were made for each other! true Puppy Love! :)

light was coming thru window so it was hard to get a good pic. sorry

Hey Foxy Valentine

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Another icky yuck photo taken with my shaky hands behind the camera phone. it really was the best of the ones I could get. so very sorry.....

card for another son, mailed along with some candy goodies to Indiana. received today, so it's safe to post! :)

image is by Amy Doodle Stamp Co., papers are digital ones by Far Far Hill, stamps used are retired ones by My Favorite Things. buttons, ticket, coin envelope, and twine are from my stash.

Challenges: (again, I apologize for the poor photo quality)
4 Crafty Chicks - Valentine
Crafting By Designs - Love is in the Air
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Love
Simon Says Stamp - All Creatures Great and Small
Fan-tastic Tues - square or rect. with twine
Just Inspirational - Noah's Ark: any animal
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Love is in the Air
Dream Valley - Valentine's Day
Digi Galore - Anything Goes

A Few Sites To Share With You...

Coffee of the Day - Gingerbread

Hello and Happy Friday!
I want to share a few sites with you today.  I know that after the holidays money tends to be on the tight side for many of us. at my house with sons in college and all of our HUGE medical bills, every single penny counts every day of the year. so I appreciate all of the wonderful people all over cyberspace who provide freebies to us crafty sorts...

thought I would pass along several great places I have come across lately:

first up is Far Far Hill, a wonderful site for digital papers and kits. there is also a store attached to the site. I will tell you that downloads do take a bit of time if you don't pay for the advanced service, but if you start the download at the beginning of your time online, you will hardly notice how long it takes. papers and vintage items are absolutely lovely!

next up is Ginger's House, a fun place for sentiments. she has some that are deep and thought provoking while others just crack me up.

The Graphics Fairy is just one of the many sites I visit for fantastic vintage clip art and images.

of course Create With TLC will always and forever be one of my ab fab fave places to go for sentiments and vintage images. Paulette is so very generous with her freebies every day.  I don't get by as often as I would like, but I am always in for a treat when I drop by. :)

Enjoy your weekend!