Snow Friends at the Window

Top Pick at Emerald Faeries

Coffee of the Day - Irish Creme

as we battle warm summer temps, it's nice to have cool thoughts of Christmas in July! today begins a fun week long celebration over at the Bugaboo challenge and inspiration blog, with each day having a new theme to jump start your holiday card making. you will also find that the entire store is on sale through the end of the month! :)

today's theme is 'Some of My Best Friends are Flakes - use SnowMen or SnowFlakes.' I'm using the 'Snow Friends Window' image on my card along with papers from the My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland collection.

seam binding is from Zipper Stop, snow flake dies are from Sizzix, main image & matting die is by Spellbinders, buttons are from my vintage stash, and glitter rose is from Michael's. touches of stickles were added to snow of main image. stitching stamp is by Gina K and 'joy' sentiment was generated on a label maker. a few sequins were added for some final sparkle.

I won't be participating every day since I'm still not doing very well, but will play along in several of the challenges.

thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a good weekend! :)

Challenges:
Creative Corner - anything goes
Cut it Up - anything goes with die cuts (Sizzix and Spellbinders)
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Crimbo Crackers - anything Christmas goes
Holly Jolly Christmas Ch - add a ribbon
Crafty Boots - Christmas
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas in July
Emerald Faeries - winter blues
Sparkles Christmas - snowflakes
12 Months of Christmas - anything Christmas goes with optional blooms theme

YOU are My Happy Place!

Winner at Dare 2B Artzy

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

I hope you are having a most beautiful week so far. :) the card I'm sharing with all of you today is guaranteed to bring a spot of sunshine and smiles into your day! why, you ask? well it has an image by Elisabeth Bell, of course! don't her images always make you smile?!

I'm using "I Love You This Much" along with the photo frame die by Lawn Fawn and stitched sun die from La La Land. papers are from the Pink Paislee Hey Kid collection, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and red seam binding is from Zipper Stop. stitching stamp is by Gina K and sentiment stamp on photo die is a SMASH one. buttons are from my vintage stash.

a friend needs a bit of cheering up, so I knew this adorable image would certainly do the trick!

here is a reminder that YOU are indeed a special person, too, and bring sunshine into the lives of those around you. :) thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges:
Dragonfly Dreams - anything goes
Lemon Shortbread - anything goes
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes with a twist of ribbons and/or bows
Inspiration Destination - anything goes
Paper Shelter - sunny days
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed. - anything goes
WAW - anything encouraging goes
A Snowflake's Promise - summer
Fairy Tale - summer
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Ooh La La - 'F' is for frame, flowers, faux stitching, bare feet :)
Dare 2 B Artzy - lots of layers
Ribbon Girls - any card goes with ribbons
Doodle Pantry - anything goes

My Complete Cardmaking Publications...

Coffee of the Day - Moon Pie

Hello and Happy Friday! Today is a MUCH better day and yesterday was wonderful! nothing much happened, which was perfect in contrast to the day before. grins! actually celebrated with pizza for dinner last night, so that was quite the treat. :)

anyhow, since the newest issue of Complete Cardmaking With Your PC has already hit the newsstands in the UK, I thought it was about time I showed you the 2 cards I had published in the last issue. Thank you again to Tammy at A Day for Daisies for including me with her DT in the article, as well as my friend Suzie for sending the magazine to me! :)

btw, if you would like to order your own copy, click here and look for issue #43. several of you have already told me you ordered one and really enjoyed it. I like that you get a CD chock full of great images with it. you can possibly find an issue at your local book store like Barnes and Noble or at JoAnn's.

My cards are on p. 38 and feature the beautiful image, 'I Love My Mama's Tummy.' both also use Spellbinder dies.

This first card was created with papers from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody collection, vintage buttons,  a sparkler from Webster's Pages, tag cut from PTI die, Prima flower, SU! linen thread, and stitching stamps from Gina K. Shimmerz was painted over the little flowers of the  main image. love my washi, and you haven't seen it for a bit, have you? better get busy using it again. ;)

this next card uses Basic Grey papers from the Serenade collection (did you really think I would try to get a card published and NOT use my beloved Basic Grey?!?grins!), flair button is also BG, border die is MFT, buttons are vintage, rose is Prima, glimmer mist was sprayed on tag, heart was punched from vintage sheet music, and shimmerz was again painted on main image flowers.

thank you for sharing this excitement with me! I have lots more coolio news coming up soon, so will post when I'm able.  enjoy your weekend! :)

-----> you KNOW how much I love Basic Grey, right? well they are now in partnership with Jessica Sprague and have released several of their collections in digital form!!! not only is THAT exciting news, but those same collections are on sale for a limited time only right here.  this is not a paid advertisement, just a VERY excited BG lover!!! :)

Sweet Christmas Mousie

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Swirl with Bourbon (that's the coffee flavor, not what I added to my coffee! grins!)

I want to begin my post by thanking those of you who left me such wonderful birthday comments last week! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness! :) had a quiet day with just me and the dogs, but on Saturday did celebrate with the entire fam. went to our fave paper store, since Jocelyn had never been before, and also got in a bit of antiquing. had both lunch and dinner out, which was quite the treat! then everyone headed back to Camp to get ready for the next group to arrive. While we were out and about, they surprised me with my gift from all of them - they are buying me my next tattoo! I am so excited! trying to decide which of 2 I want to get. I really want to get a pink bow for my cancer battle, but also want a tat on my foot, and think that during the summer is the ideal time to get that one. my tats have to be symbolic, and for the most part are related to my faith walk. I'll keep you posted!

now on to my card - we have a new challenge over at ABC Christmas Challenges: M is for Men or Mice. We are sponsored by Tammy and her fabulous Shape EZ templates. these are so much fun to work with!

I am using the Shape EZ Tipped Scalloped Flower template, digital papers from the Carta Bella Merry & Bright collection, a cutey image from Bugaboo called 'Christmas Mouse - Cocoa'. the sentiment is from a PTI set, flourish die and border are both Tim Holtz, gorgeous twine is Maya  Road, stitching stamp is Gina K. shimmerz paint was added to the bow, spoon, shoes, and heart on main image. stickles were added to the Shape EZ flowers. I have a 'thing' for polka dots, if you haven't already been able to tell, so I added dots to the mug with my white gel pen. some rhinestones on the sentiment punch, a doily, and a button complete the card.

colors are a bit off in the scan because I didn't want to put the lid down on the scanner & crush the flowers. I did the best I could with the editing, but I am no Einstein in that area. please forgive me.

enjoy your day! sending you big hugs!

Challenges:
WAW - anything goes with encouraging senti
Creative Craft - a stitch in time
Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes
Crafting By Design - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - glitz & glimmer (shimmerz paint, stickles, rhinestones)
Digi Sketch - theme: Christmas
Pause, Dream, Enjoy - anything goes
Paper Nest - animal love
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra - anything goes Christmas
A Little Bit Crafty - something sweet
Sparkles Christmas - buttons and bows
Docerela - kraft cs
Jingle Belles - a digital Christmas (papers and image)
Sister Act - anything goes
Stampin' for the Weekend - anything goes
Sweet Stampin' Christmas - cute & cuddly with non-traditional colors (pink & blue)

A Princess and Her Crown

Coffee of the Day - German Chocolate Cake

Today is both a new challenge and new releases over at Jellypark! I do hope you will stop by to see all of the wonderful projects being show by the DT! The challenge theme is 'Get in Shape' - use all kinds of shapes on your project or make a shaped card.

I have used the new Princess digi image on my card and fun floral shapes made with my Spellbinder's dies. papers are from the Basic Grey Serendipity collection, lace trim and buttons are vintage, sentiment is from Create with TLC. flower die cuts and sentiment were sprayed with glimmer mist. crown was coated in rock candy distress stickles. leaf die is SU!, little roses are from a MFT die, and the negative space at the bottom was cut from a MFT as well. faux stitching stamp is Gina K. Princess crown, shoes, and purse were painted with shimmerz.

This sentiment is very special to me. Most of y'all might not know that I have a small collection of tiaras. they aren't very fancy, but they are precious to me. I haven't been able to wear any of my tiaras for a while. believe me, I tried! and man oh man, do they hurt on a head with either no hair or not much! grins! we have a wonderful group of ladies out at Camp who are part of a little group of 'Princesses,' and I remind them as often as I can that they are all the daughters of a King. so often life makes us feel less than royal, either through circumstances or just the day to day living of it. we need to hold our heads high and wear that crown! :)

well this is my last scheduled card for a little while.....I must say I'm looking forward to crawling into bed and staying there for a few days or a month or so. ;) right now that sounds absolutely delightful! being sick for so long is absolutely no fun whatsoever! blech!  I'll pop in every few little bit to say hello, but until then know you are loved - truly, deeply!

enjoy your weekend! Jennifer

Challenges:
Happy Camper - use your favorite stamp: both of these 'cause I love any princess stamp & the senti one from TLC is fab! :) of course you know how often I am using this Gina K stitching set..... thanks again, Joan!
Shelly's Images - sew much fun
LUFP - photo inspiration (colors and leaves from tree)
Crafting By Design - anything goes
Penny's - anything goes
Stampavie - lots of layers
Anything Goes - vintage/shabby chic
Loves Rubberstamps - lots of layers
TTCRD - anything goes
Vickie's/Lady Anne's - anything goes
Incy Wincy - pop it up (main image is popped up on foam tape, felt flowers stick up from card base)
Whoopsi Daisy - make it girly

Clips and Pins at Pile it On

The new challenge this week at Pile it On is clips and/or pins. We are sponsored by Pin & Tack Handcrafted Delights, who are also offering a very cool discount to everyone who plays along in our challenge! Stop by the PIO challenge blog for the discount code. :) plus you are also going to want to see all of the very cool projects created by the DT this week!

My card uses a cute image from A Day for Daisies, papers from Basic Grey Olivia, dies from Spellbinders, Tim Holtz, and My Favorite Things. you know how addicted to washi tapes I've become! buttons and lace trim are vintage. stickles are on each little bubble as well as the edges of the main image and each banner. the paper strip the banners are clipped to was popped up for more dimension. oh yes, the little baby roses also have stickles on them. I used that great stitching stamp set again from Gina K. (thank you once again, Joan!!!) I added a few little polka dots to her hat with my white gel pen.

Challenges:
There She Goes - flowers
Anything Goes - shabby chic/vintage
ADFD - pink polka dots
Raise the Bar - anything goes
Inky Impressions - ribbon or twine
Cute Card Thursday - an eye for detail (each individual bubble was dotted with stickles)
Simply Create Too - Mothers Day or for a female
Sparkle and Glitter - the things I love (washi tape, flower, vintage buttons, PINK!!!, Basic Grey, and Princesses)
A Gem of a Challenge - dies and punches
Bugaboo Bingo - heart (on her hat), players choice (buttons), sewing (faux with stamp) or red, twine, and sewing
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Sweet Pea - use a digi
Craft Us Crazy - show us your favorites (washi tape, flower, vintage buttons, A Day for Daisies, PINK!!!, Basic Grey, and Princesses)
Party Time Tuesdays - 3 (3 banners, 3 roses, 3 clips, 3 vintage buttons, 3 washi tapes)
Basic Grey - favorites (washi tape, flower, vintage buttons, A Day for Daisies, PINK!!!, Basic Grey, and Princesses)

Floral Sympathy

Coffee of the Day - Santa's White Christmas (see yesterday's post for story behind it)

Hippitty Hoppity Hooray it is Friday! and all of my family will be together this weekend! hooray! yep, I'm a happy happy mom! :) Tyler and Mick come home today, plus we will see Jocelyn, Mick's girlfriend on Sunday. yipppeeeee! oh this momma loves her little ducks, I tell ya!

I hope all of you felt properly LOVED yesterday..... and everday as well!  David absolutely adores his coffee. as you can see we are having it again this morning. makes us miss the fabulous coffees we found at Barnies in Florida... the flavored coffees we can get up here just aren't quite the same. Ryan was able to drive down to spend the day with his girlfriend, Ashley yesterday. they had a lovely time together and also celebrated their one year anniversary of dating! :)  oh, do you remember when you counted those milestones? I do... still remember my first date with hubby. even the date. yep. those dates always have an importance, even all these years later.

I want to share the 2nd of the sympathy cards with you. I had mentioned a few days ago that I needed a few for some of my blogging friends. I tend to make these 'as needed' because I am able to really pour as much love and prayer as I possibly can into each one as they are made. Since I'm not a quick crafter, that means for several hours I am thinking and praying for the people these cards are going to. never is this needed as much as when someone you love has died. the range of emotions run the gambit, and often you feel so very alone. I don't know if the people who receive these cards can tell, but at least I know and God knows that I want them to find just a small bit of peace & comfort between the folds of the paper.

The image is Buttercups by Doodle Pantry, paper is 5th Avenue by Melissa Frances, trim and buttons are vintage, wonderful flocked and glittered flowers are Prima, stitching stamp is Gina K, and rhinestone flourish is Want 2 Scrap.

Challenges:
QKR Stampede - anything goes
Sparkle and Glitter - all the things I love (my vintage trims and buttons along with Primas & distressing! only thing missing is zombies! tee hee!)
Polkadoodles - shabby chic
Doodle Pantry - anything goes with one of their images
Incy Wincy - add texture
Lia Stampz - anything goes
Stampin' for the Weekend - distressing
Sweet Pea - use a digi

Let Me Call You Sweetheart part 2

Coffee of the Day - Red Velvet Cake with a splash of bacon syrup! yum, yum!

Today I show you the other half of my 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' challenge projects for Top Tip Tuesday challenges. We are sponsored by both Stamp Fairy and Stamp and Create, so I had cards that showcased items from both sponsors. I do hope you will play along with our challenge, as I can always use cards to give to the people I love! :)

My card today uses the adorable little Barry Angel in Love 3 from Stamp Fairy. papers are Basic Grey True Love, lots and lots of great washi tapes, some vintage buttons as well as some vintage tickets, a heart doily, pink ruffled ribbon, and pretty pink rose. lots of sparkle with distress stickles and shimmerz paints. accents with my white gel pen and stitching added with a new Gina K stamp set (thank you so much, Joan!!!).

tomorrow David and I are off to travel Ohio delivering Valentine goodness to our sons and their girlfriends! what fun! nothing big, but some handmade cards and candy will hopefully let them all know how very much we love them! ;) this card will be delivered right along with the rest of them!

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion - Valentine
There She Goes - bloom
Love to Create - feelin' the love
Card Mania - love that I'm feeling
Creative Creations - it must be love
Digi Darla - be my Valentine
Pretty Little Ribbon - anything goes
Corrosive - hearts and flowers
Great Impressions - have a heart
Squirrel and the Fox - love
Papertake Weekly - hearts and flowers