Birthday Cats, Mice, and Old Cheese

Winner at House Mouse and Friends
DT Favorite at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Dunkin' Donuts Vanilla CupCake coffee

So today is my birthday and we are having a party here on my blog! Gourmet cupcakes, ice cream, balloons, music, and lots of dancing! chips and nachos, too! something for everyone!

Don't forget the candy, BLOG CANDY!!!!! Head over to this post and get your name entered for a chance to win some fun prizes! it doesn't matter where in this big, happy world you  live, because everyone has a chance! :) you have until the end of the month to enter. more entries if you link a birthday themed card or project!

so now on to my project....

I pulled out one of my oh, so neglected House Mouse stamps, "Gift for Kitty" and combined it with elements from one of my most favorite ever online stores & blogs, Create with TLC. you have probably seen me use Paulette's sentiments and digital elements if you are a follower or frequent visitor here. she  is a doll. really and truly. she gives away free stuff ALL the time. honest. go check out her blog. now. well, maybe after you finish reading my post. and linking your blog to the candy. then go visit Paulette. tell her hey and ask her what she has against coffee. she will laugh. ;)

speaking of Paulette, she has a few freebies for y'all. talk about party favors! check out the blog candy post for a few more. :) a few of the International participants will win gift certificates to her Etsy store! cool, huh, ?!

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so now we really will get to my card.

card:
cute House Mouse image: check
great Create with TLC elements: check

story: this thing drove me up the freaking wall to get done. I was worried about that cat. it just wasn't right. But here it is finished. Ta da! :)

digital papers are from the Echo Park Celebrate Spring collection, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, lace trim is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and seam binding is distressed & by Zipper Stop. little ticket and burlap doily are from my stash. no clue whatsoever where the pretty pink sequins came from, but I do like them ever so much. Die is by Spellbinders and punches are from SU! I used a wink of stella glitter pen to go over the jingle bell.

thanks for hanging in there with me. y'all rock the casbah! let's party!
now go get some cake!

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends - anything goes w/birthday option
Ike's World - anything goes/song inspiration (Happy Birthday, kinda obvious, sorry)
SUYP - furryything goes with cats
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Cute 'N Crafty - birthday
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cupcake Inspiration - color challenge: pink, green, yellow
Use Your Stuff - inspired by a song: Happy Birthday, of course ;)
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/a critter
Ching-Chou Kuik - cats or dogs
Crafty Animals - anything goes w/an animal
Dream Factory - Nine Lives

Fun Blog Collaboration with Debra and Celeste! Science Themed Projects

Winner at House Mouse & Friends

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

Today I am part of a fun collaboration with 2 great ladies, Debra and Celeste! and guess, what? they love coffee, too! :)

One of the things these lovely ladies do is show photos off their coffee cups. Well, today's cup is in honor of our son, Ryan. these next 3 weeks are going to be a whirlwind here in our family. all 3 of our sons are graduating from college!!!  in just a few short days, Ryan graduates from Indiana Wesleyan University, so today I am drinking from this great mug he gave me. I usually drink my veggie juice from it because he absolutely hates vegetables. :) it makes me giggle every time to think of him cringing in horror that I would dare drink my kale and cucumber juice out of his IWU mug! yeah, I am sassy that way! but today it is filled to the top with coffee. Moon Pie would normally be in the photo, but he and Palmer are off playing right now. :)

here is last week's photo of him with my normal coffee cup. you can see there is a wee bit of a size difference in the mugs! ha!

Since I am the guestie of the month, I was allowed to choose the theme. With yesterday being Earth Day as well as the March for Science, I decided to use that as our theme. we are going to "Geek it for the World!" truly, science is all around us and impacts absolutely every single part of our lives. I had high hopes of being part of the March for Science, but a nasty case of pneumonia has had me sidelined for more time than I care to count. thankfully I was able to get my card finished in time to post though. again, thank goodness for science, this time medical science and the medications that have kept me from the hospital!!!

for my card, I decided to use my adorable House Mouse stamps and create a card that focuses on sustainable farming. In the past 9 months or so, we have gone from giving up all beef to eating an almost completely plant based diet. we stay away from all palm oil products as well as soy based items whenever possible. our food choices can make such a difference in helping leave less of a carbon foot print.

Papers are from the Basic Grey Hillside collection, bg die is by Tim Holtz, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and seam binding (which I distressed) is from Zipper Stop.  vintage buttons and ticket are from my craft stash.

if you look closely, the bg paper looks a little like the wind turbines you periodically see. as we drive out to visit Ryan in Indiana, we pass a huge wind farm. we always know that he is about 2 hours away at that point. wouldn't it be wonderful to see more and more wind turbines everywhere?

Netflix has some wonderful documentaries on sustainable farming as well as the impact of animals as a food source and their effect on our planet. I recommend "Sustainable", "Forks over Knives", and National Geographic's "Before the Flood" to start.

Thank you so much to Debra and Celeste for inviting me to be a part of their fun collaboration this month! I had a great time making my card! :) please be sure to stop by their blogs to say hello! :)

Challenges:
House Mouse Lovers - Stop and Smell the Flowers or anything goes

Gruffie Bear Loves Birthday Cake!

Coffee of the Day - Maple Fudge

I needed a very special birthday card for a very special young lady, so what better stamp to pull out of hibernation than one of my Gruffie Bear ones from House Mouse and Friends? I just love these bears so much! they always seem to be getting themselves into situations I find myself in, too! :)

the stamp itself is a big one, so the card is a unique size. buffalo plaid paper is a scrap, so I'm sorry I don't know the mfg. The person who will receive it loves nature and the outdoors, so I thought it fun to use the plaid paper and burlap ribbon to give it a bit more rustic feel, but still add the embellies to make it girly, too.

sentiment is from Create with TLC, button card is vintage, oval sentiment and little flag punches are by SU!, main image die is Spellbinders, tickets & balloon are from my stash, and flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. red roses on image as well as WOC ones are covered in distress stickles.

Really Reasonable Ribbons used: Lipstick Red Seam Binding and Burlap Center Stitch Red.

Thanks for stopping by! hope you are doing well. :)

p.s. there is a Build-A-Bear gift card tucked inside this card!

Challenges:
Gruffies and Guests - red and/or green
House Mouse and Friends - plaid
Aud Sentiments - anything goes with a sentiment
Craft Rocket - add a sentiment
Crafty Girls - anything goes
Julia Spiri - add a sentiment
Pile it On - any holiday/celebration (birthday)
Inky Impressions - our furry friends
WAW - anything family friendly goes
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Get Creative - birthday
Incy Wincy - critters
Melonheadz - tic tac toe (sentiment, flowers, ribbon)

Ribbon Spool Mousies

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Nut Cream

Happy Sunday to each of you! I'm back with a mid-way inspiration post as part of my Guest Designer spot over at Quirky Crafts. The challenge theme is 'Sewn with Love' and is sponsored by the ever so fabulous Cutting Cafe.

My card base is the Ribbon Spool card template. it also comes with the files to make a cute box. a piece of Basic Grey Picadilly paper is wrapped with vintage lace, floral ric rac from Really Reasonable Ribbon, pale blue crochet trim from my stash, and some silver cording. flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and that adorable little scissor charm is from Etsy. button, clothing label, and little snap are all vintage.

of course the star of the show is the House Mouse stamp! the pin heads on the image were accented with a spica clear glitter pen.

I do hope you will play along in the challenge! thanks so much for stopping by. :) I'm also linking this with the Simon Says Stamps WCMD projects.

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends - Fall/Halloween or anything goes
Gruffies and Guests - embossing or anything goes
Crafty Time - shaped cards
Lia Stampz - animals
Dragonfly Dreams - ribbons and bows
Brown Sugar - shabby chic
Crafting with Friends - anything goes
Creative Knockouts - lots of layers

Coffee Mug Mousie

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice (well, of course, it suits today's theme!)

Welcome to my post for the Huge Fall Coffee Lover's Blog Hop! The hop begins today and goes through Oct. 2. I hope to have a project to share for almost every one of the days, so be prepared for lots of fall coffee love! :)

Today's card is full of House Mouse love in a coffee cup! and the wonderful sentiment comes straight from Create with TLC! thanks, Paulette! she was even sweet enough to share this on the blog as a sneaky peek, so some of you may have seen this already.

papers are from the Basic Grey Indian Summer collection, main image die is Spellbinders, pumpkin die is by Sizzix, flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, little leaves are Petaloo, orange ribbon & linen thread are SU!, and pink polka dot organza ribbon, olive green twine, & ivory chevron ribbon are from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

lots of little happy dots were added with my white gel pen. tiny buttons are from my stash while other buttons are vintage. I took the label off of a bag of Pumpkin Spice coffee and adhered it to a small kraft bag. perfect to hold the little tags!

poor little mousie couldn't sit in just a plain cup, so I fancied this one up a bit. painted wild stripes on it then added big polka dots with the eraser of a pencil. love the way the stripes still cover through a bit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! :)

edited to add - I have coffee blog candy here! some of the things I had ordered didn't arrive in time for when this post first went live, but you still have time to enter. :)

Challenges:
Really Reasonable Ribbon - orange you glad it's autumn with ribbon or trim
House Mouse & Friends - bingo: ribbon, yellow/gold, flowers/leaves
Choux Choux Paper Art - Halloween Blog Hop Linky Party (fall project)
Crafting For All Seasons - layer it up
Inky Impressions - dots and stripes
Little Red Wagon - Happy Fall, Y'all
The Kraft Journal - anything goes pumpkin with kraft (kraft cs base and bag)
Sisterhood of Crafters - pumpkin patch
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
City Crafter - Fall has arrived
Fan-tastic Tues - color me autumn
Dragonfly Journeys - orange you sweet
Unruly Paper Arts - Coffee & Cream photo inspiration
Gruffies and Guests - make it fruity or anything goes (well if you count pumpkins as fruit, then I have that covered! grins! otherwise this is my 2nd anything goes entry)
Die Cut Divas - pumpkins (Sizzix die) or scarecrow

Sunflower House Mouse Acorn Shape Card

Coffee of the Day - Pumpkin Spice

Can you believe it's Wednesday already?! Yesterday Dave and I had the best time together on his day off. We went to the infamous Hollo's Paper Store where I was able to pick up a few much needed supplies, such as clear envelopes and paper doilies. also went to several of our favorite antique stores so I could get a few more vintage laces and buttons to replenish my ever dwindling stash .... ha! (hope dearest hubby doesn't read that last sentence! tee hee!) he was able to get an old window frame to work on over the winter. he took one this past winter and turned it into the most gorgeous shabby chic mirror for our upstairs hallway. it is beautiful! excited to see what he does with this next one! :)

The card I am sharing with you today uses one of the vintage laces I found yesterday on a fun acorn shaped template from Shape EZ by TLC. I don't see this exact template in her store right now, but I'm sure you could send her a quick message if you were interested. Tammy has a beautiful blog that is filled with gorgeous inspiration using her templates as well as many other projects. I'm a longtime follower of hers! :)

The cutey stamp is a House Mouse one called 'Daisy Face' that I fussy cut, gingham paper is by Simple Stories, leaves are from Prima, lace is vintage as I mentioned above as are the buttons, and little ribbon snippet on stem is by SU!  not sure who makes the sunflower as I took them out of their packaging long ago. same goes for mfg of baker's twine.

acorn cap was sanded, distressed with inks, and then sprayed with walnut gold glimmer mist before inking the edges and adding more vanilla ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by! for those of you who have been asking, Mocha is doing okay for now. thank you for your concern and well wishes. :)

edited to add:  I can't get any of the blogs I follow to show up in my feed.... I will be around to visit as soon as blogger decides to co-operate. this has been going on for a few days now. so sorry I've been absent from your blogs. :(  hopefully it will soon be fixed.

Challenges:
House Mouse - anything goes or bingo: ribbon, yellow/gold, flowers/leaves OR button, ribbon, baker's twine, OR all 3 colors
Sisterhood of Crafters - photo inspiration
Clear It Out - theme: autumn, stash: leaves (these Prima leaves are REALLY old!)
Creative Card Crew -  fall
TTCRD - anything goes
Glitter 'n Sparkle - something that starts with 'g' (glimmer mist, green)
Fantasy Stampers - autumn leaves
Crafting with Friends - anything goes
Craft for the Craic - anything but a square
Crafting Musketeers - autumnal colors
Gruffies and Guests - make it fruity or anything House Mouse/Happy Hopper/Gruffies goes

Sending Christmas Blessings with Gruffy in a Box of Ornaments

Coffee of the Day - Maple Walnut

Today is my birthday - wooo hoooo!  so this is going to be a fast post. we are heading out for lunch and a movie soon. plus I needed to get this card posted to make a challenge deadline.  Mick will be coming over later this afternoon once he gets off work. will be FABULOUS to have the entire family together! we're also celebrating Father's Day since everyone will be back at work/Camp tomorrow.

I have totally fallen short on getting started on Christmas cards this year, so was glad to see the House Mouse challenge of Holidays. can you believe this is my first Christmas card so far?! normally I have at least a dozen made by this time. oh well. we can only do what we can do.

The main image stamp is Gruffies Decorating Bear, sentiment stamp is by Unity, papers are Simple Stories Cozy Christmas, flowers & leaves are Petaloo, buttons are from my stash as is the white satin ribbon. little twine piece is re-purposed from a bag of dog food and then a doily portion was added to the lower right hand corner. oh yes, the ornaments are covered in shimmerz paint. lots of distressing, as per usual! :)

will hopefully have my blog candy up tomorrow!

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends - Holiday
DeConstructing Jen -  final sketch :(
Allsorts - use a stamp (House Mouse and Unity)
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Ch - merry and bright
Catch the Bug - bingo: flower, ribbon, player's choice (twine)
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - ribbon or lace (ribbon)
Moving Along with the Times - inspired by a song ('It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas')
ABC Christmas - 'L' is for lyric ('It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas')
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas extra - anything Christmas goes
Let's Craft and Create - add some sparkle (shimmerz paint on ornaments)
Sparkle's Christmas - Christmas Animals
Bunny Zoe's - Furry Animals

A Cup of Tea To YOU!

Coffee of the Day - Carrot Cake

yes, you are in shock. I have made a card about tea, not coffee. and I'm linking it to a Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop. makes no sense whatsoever if you visit my blog very often. I'm happy to be able to link this to the blog hop though. I miss taking part in these since I'm not on FB any longer.

but if you know me irl, then you know that I was a tea drinker lonnnnnnng before I became a coffee addict. during the summer I make all kinds of blends of iced tea. and this card is going to a very, very special friend.

my bestie in all the world is sickie poo. so she needed a special card. we have gone for tea many times, and I knew she would appreciate the little tea bag I added to the tag. we used to go for coffee, too, but when you are sick, nothing comforts like a cup of hot tea. so I can do that for her. :)

this precious stamp is a House Mouse Gruffie called 'All Warm and Fuzzy'. I still remember the first card I ever made with this stamp. as much as I love the little House Mouse mice, these bears are my faves.

papers are from the Authentique Remembrance collection, flowers are a combo of Wild Orchid Crafts, Prima, and Live & Love Crafts specialties. buttons and lace/crochet trim are vintage. tea border die is Cottage Cutz and was sprayed with my SU! ink squirty tool, while main die is Spellbinders. little punches in the upper corner are SU!. tag with tulle ribbon is in a library pocket that was distressed. the sentiment was computer generated.

and I know all of you are curious as to what the yummy flavor of tea is that I included..... it's a tasty Ginger Peach by Stash. delicious hot or cold. :) the tag slides further down in the pocket, but I left it out so you could see the full sentiment.

btw - if you click on the actual card photo, it will take you to a larger photo to see more of the details, and it won't look quite so blurry.

hope all of you are having a great weekend so far! don't forget I'll have blog candy coming soon for my birthday! :)

Challenges:
Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop - the colors are summery to me! :) plus there is nothing worse than having pneumonia at the start of the summer...
Gruffies and Guests - lavender and lace
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - die cuts (Spellbinders & Cottage Cutz)
Your Next Stamp - sketch or color challenge (color)
Aud Sentiments - bingo: patterned paper, rubber stamp, paper punch plus sentiment
Scrap and Craft - tag it
Card and Scrap - use dies (Spellbinders & Cottage Cutz)
WAW - anything goes/family friendly
Crafty Creations - All Creatures Great and Small
Penny's Paper Crafty - anything goes
Kraftin' Kimmie's Wonderful Wed - anything goes
Loves Rubberstamps - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Ribbon Girls - animal
Verve Stamps - eat me, drink me photo inspiration
613 Avenue Create - anything goes with option of making something for your best friend (and I did!)
Corrosive Ch - pile it on (LOVE this theme!)

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

Enjoy Every Moment Mice

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

It has been YEARS since I took out my poor little mousies, my House Mouse stamps I mean. I was leaving comments on some blogs I follow when I came across a fellow blogger who was playing in the current House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge. it reminded me of the days when I use to play with my  mousey stamps all the time! not only do I have a bucket load of these cuties, but a friend I knew at the time let me play with a bunch of hers, too.

so up into the attic in the barn I went to track down my stamps. yes, it's a sad day when the mice are left in the barn.....and out came this cutey patootie stamp. it's called 'Walking in the Rain', but I am having a doozie of a time trying to track down anything on the House Mouse store site to try to link it. so very sorry.

the card is larger than the average bear to accommodate the large stamp. thank goodness I still buy 12x12 cs! grins!

papers are from the Basic Grey Fresh Cut collection, flowers are a combo of Wild Orchid Crafts, Petaloo, & Prima, buttons are from my vintage collection, gorgey ribbon is SU!, and tickets & doily are from my stash once again. used my label maker to create the remainder of the sentiment. the little banner is part of the Basic Grey collection, too.

raindrops were highlighted with my clear spica glitter gel pen, and tiny accents were added to some of the flower centers with a white gel pen.

boy howdy, I forgot how detailed these stamps are to color and tough to get a nice, clear stamped impression, too. I've been playing with digis so long, it's kinda nice to be using an actual big stamp again. :)

enjoy your weekend! it's Maple Festival here, which of course means lousy weather. we've had snow for several days, but now it's just cold. good to keep the sap running though.

don't forget to enter my blog candy while you are here. :)

Challenges:
House Mouse and Friends Mon Ch - April Showers
Sweet Sketch Wed - sketch
Pile it On - April Showers bring May Flowers
Craft for the Craic - die-ing for Spring or Easter (Spellbinders die)
Crafts 4 Eternity - anything goes
The Crafter's Cafe - ribbon or lace
Time Out Ch - 'You Can't Make a Rainbow Without a Little Rain' (I went with the rain portion of the theme)
Gruffies & Guests - patchwork with anything goes option
My Time to Craft - spring flowers
Lia Stampz - use ribbon
Art by Miran - anything goes
Dragon's Lair - add an animal
Art Impressions - April Showers bring May Flowers
Dream it Up - showers of showers
Throwback Thurs - any stamp older than 1 year (oh yeah, this poor guy has been in my barn longer than that!)
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Cuttin' and Stampin' - cute critters
Digi Sketch Ch - not sure if the theme is furry friends or flowers because both are mentioned, but thankfully my card covers both. ;)
Stamp and Create - anything goes
Sentimental Sundays - Animal Love
Whimsy - color an image

Fancy Pants House Mouse Get Well card

Coffee of the Day - Starbucks House Blend

This is what I call a double duty card - it covers 2 magno challenges in one! ;) House Mouse Monday Challenge was to make a get well card and Jenn Balcer has posted a sketch challenge over on her blog for the weekend. Well, that was the incentive I needed to get my stampin' mojo back in action after being sick all week. Do you know how hard it is to make a get well card when you feel pukey? yes, you can feel my pain! :) So I finally decided to get busy stampin' anyway and see what the end result might be...........

I couldn't for the life of me track down any mousies that fit the 'get well' theme, so I went with the Hot Cocoa pair. What DOESN'T chocolate of any kind cure?!?! ;) I originally started this card as a masculine themed one, since most of the 'feel better' cards I send tend to go to guys. But once I was almost finished I saw this itty bitty little Petaloo felt flower sitting on the floor under my chair where it must have fallen last week. poor thing! It was pretty thick, so I tore it in half and made it feel welcome on the card. I guess it would still work for a guy since the tones are more neutral. The coloring is all watercolors. Edges are inked in vanilla craft. Papers are SU! and Fancy Pants. and always lovin' the little dew drops! (okay, I MAY have gone Dew Drop happy on this card - but don't they make YOU happy?!)

Please notice the new blog buttons over on the right hand side. One is very important for you to pay attention to EVERY DAY. If you click on the Breast Cancer button, it will take you right to the site where you can help sponsor free mamograms to the less fortunate. Click it every time you visit my blog please. It means so much to someone you don't even know! The other button announces my new DT - Digiments! I received notice yesterday that I was accepted! What an honor to be chosen! It has been several years since I have been part of a DT, and I appreciate so much that Michelle is giving me the chance to join her team! So many phenom people tried out, dear friends of mine with lots of amazing talent. Not that it says anything about me, 'cause I'm not all that - I'm just me. I burn my toast & eat my burgers off of paper plates with the best of 'em! :D But that she would take a leap of faith that I could create something special with her designs. That makes me feel truly special.

And each of you are super special, too! God says so! :) Love ya!

Jennifer

Happy Birthday Mousies with Cuppie!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

I made this card for a challenge hosted by Paula. Paula's challenge was to create something using the mosaic embossing technique. I don't have a die cut machine, so Paula sent me the supplies. I really appreciate her helping me out! But gosh it was a challenge for me to use these colors. That is part of doing challenges though - to get out of our comfort zone. Plus you know that I don't normally do 'cutesy' type cards, so I was stumped at first. But then the mojo started jumping and off I went!

The paper was first inked over with white craft ink. This causes the embossing to really pop. I then grabbed my wonderful mousies from House Mouse to go along with the 'Happy Birthday' message on the embossed cs. The cupcake icing is covered with a heavy coating of cotton candy stickles. The glitter flowers are another of the ones from Heidi Grace (like the ones I used on my spring HM butterfly kites card). The embossed piece is mounted on sahara sand cs to help accentuate the colors of everything else. All the pastels in the HM piece don't show up so well in the scan, but irl it's all pastel-y and soft! oh yes, the candle flame is painted with beeswax shimmerz.

I'm working on some things with some fun digi images I got from Angel's Landing. Also have created some cool 'coffee' paper to play with later in the week. My boys were even impressed with it, so I look forward to getting it inky and making some cards. New coffee inchie stamps from Rubbernecker are here, so we'll see what I can come up with!

have a good one everyone! sending big hugs your way!!! :D

Jennifer

p.s. oh yes, I had a little mousie stop by my blog yesterday - Mudpie Mouse from House Mouse stamps left a message. How cool is that!?! Play in the HM Monday Challenge and a little mousie may just stop by and say hello to you, too! ;)

House Mouse Monday Challenge - Spring Butterfly Kites

Coffee of the Day - Irish Cream

Here is my submission for this week's House Mouse Monday Challenge. The theme for the week is 'Spring'. I am using more of the K & Co. Que Sera Sera papers with this adorable stamp. The butterflies are painted in Beeswax shimmerz to make them sparkle. The blue/turquoise paper is actually the flip side of the floral paper. The glitter flowers are some by Heidi Grace that I found in my stash. I'll have another project to show later in the week showing the other flower that comes in the package. I covered the mousies in Crystal Effects to help them stand out on the cs. They seemed to be lost in the grass without it! Trim is vintage and an Etsy find. oh yes, the card is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.

As you can see I didn't take a stamping break at all. God worked on me and my pride at not being accepted to the DT, 'cause that is all it really was - plain ol' pride rearing its ugly head. (plus being sick, but that's a whole other story) I ended up stamping Sunday night and enjoying myself immensely. So essentially, if God tells me to stamp and create, then that is what I will do. He has a much greater purpose and plan for me than I can possibly understand. And he has it all worked out to a 'T' if I just allow myself to follow Him.

So everyone have a great day! It's rainy and cool and totally glorious here! :D

A Cuppa with Gruffie - HM Monday Challenge

Coffee of the Day - Starbucks House Blend

Got a jump start on the House Mouse Monday Challenge by actually playing ON TIME!!! what is up with that?!?! well, Dave and the boys went backpacking in PA for the day yesterday. The guys are on Spring Break this week and Dave took off a few days to spend with the fam. They originally were going to take a 3 day backpacking trip, but the weather at the park they were headed to was going to be rainy and cold the entire time, so they decided to stay home and just do day trips. Works for me, since they brought pizza home with them last night! ;) So I had a chance to do some fun stamping. yeah, I know, like anything ever keeps me from that!!! grins!

I love this Gruffie image - you know me and a coffee or tea pot! I added the little flowers to bring something a little fun to the card. yep, I like to do that a lot, too! Papers are SU! and Basic Grey Urban Prairie. Used my neat Martha Stewart punch for the borders and added this prima twill trim that ended up being a perfect match. Toss on a prima flower and some dew drops, ink the edges in white craft, and ta da - we have a card! the center image is popped up on foam tape to add dimension. All coloring is done with watercolor brushes and SU! inks. Card size is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square. oh yeah, I almost forgot the most important part - the House Mouse Monday Challenge was to create multiple images - either through stamping several images or by cutting your image into several pieces. you can see what I chose! ;)

have a lovely day!

Jennifer

House Mouse Challenge Sweetie Strawberries

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla again! (it's very good!)

Just a quick post as I'm getting sick again (or still, as I'm not doing well since our trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last weekend). Don't you just hate it when you feel icky and a holiday is coming up? anyway, we aren't going to focus on that......

This card is for the weekly House Mouse Monday Challenge. I haven't played in a while for several reasons, but this week's theme is 'Sweet'. So I pulled out my adorable 'Sleeping with Strawberries' mousie and the fun Martha Stewart strawberry fabric stickers. Also used papers from Daisy D's. Colored it all with watercolor brushes again and SU! inks. I so enjoy using those brushes!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Jennifer

House Mouse Challenge My Valentine

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Velvet

Another little cutie mouse for the House Mouse Monday Challenge group. This one is a 4 1/4" square. I cut a heart doilie in half, lightly sponged it in SU! pink pirouette, adhered it to some pretty Flair Designs paper I've had around forever it seems, and mounted my cutie little mouse image! The heart center is covered in stickles. Pulled out the label maker for the sentiment for something a bit different. Flower is from Petaloo.

Now for some REALLY GREAT NEWS!!!! When I went to the dr. yesterday, he informed me that the PET scan revealed no signs of cancer!!!! yippppeeeee!!! man, oh man, are we thrilled!!! It did show another cyst that is actually bigger than the tumor on my pancreas (what is up with my body growing these weird things?!), but he doesn't see any reason for surgery now. This is a change from what he had told us at my last appt., but hey, I will take this news in a heartbeat! Anyhow, I have to go back in 6 months to have all the tests and scans run again to see how things have progressed. Sooooooo, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your prayers and kind words of encouragement! It means so very much to my family and me!

HM Design Team Application

House Mouse Monday Challenge has 2 openings for Design Team members. To apply for the postion, each person is required to post why they want to be a member and photographs of 3 creations. I apologize in advance for those of you who regularly follow my blog - you have seen these cards before. But I do consider them to be some of my faves. My fam got a chance to pick their favorite HM card that I have made as well! :) So away we go..........

I have been a fan of House Mouse stamps since I first borrowed several stamps from a friend several years ago. I even remember which stamps they were - "Throwing Daisy Petals" and "Star Spangled". From then on, I was hooked on these precious little mousies!! I have since collected many, many more stamps and have a great time playing with them. I would love to become a member of the HM Monday Challenge Design Team, well, primarily to give me the perfect excuse to just keep creating with these cute critters! Since Gruffy and the Hoppers have been added to the family, they have also come to stay at my home in abundance! I enjoy the challenge that comes with the weekly blog posts - whether through color, embellishments, themes, or sketches. Thank you for this exciting opportunity!

P.S. Other House Mouse projects can be found below and throughout my blog. :)

House Mouse Challenge Hugs & Kisses

I am finally getting a chance to play in the House Mouse Monday challenges again, and I actually made 2 cards. I'll post one today and another later on in the week.

This one uses 2 heart die cuts from My Mind's Eye. I have an abundance of many wonderful die cuts from this company, but never had gotten around to using them. I finally decided to pull out my stash and put them to use. The paper is the Daisy D's that I had used on several previous cards. Lace is some really neat stuff made by Wright's and purchased at Wal-Mart of all places! Polka dot ribbon is from there, too. I know this stamp isn't really a Valentine one, but it just seemed like a perfect one for the challenge. The sentiment is from SU!.

Have a great evening! Jennifer

House Mouse Challenge Polka Dots and Snowflakes!

Wowzers - 2 challenges in 1 day! this chickie is on a roll! This is really a VERY GOOD THING since I spent several days not stamping. I'm finally starting to not hurt so much - PRAISE GOD!!! Truly I say! there is nothin' fun about hurting bones! I'm still staying either up or down and avoiding the stairs as much as possible, but man oh man, your prayers and well wishes have PAID OFF BIG TIME!!!!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! I have so many pulication deadlines and challenges to catch up on, not to mention holiday projects, so it feels great to feel great! :D

This card is my entry for the House Mouse Monday Challenge to use polka dots in your submission. Is that just not the best challenge?! This is another one of those cutie pie images that Dru gifted to me. The image is small, so the overall card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" square. I pulled out my ol' time fave Linen bg stamp by SU! Oh how I miss using that puppy! I stamped it not only on the main cs, but also on the inside and the red matting cs. I used to use bg stamps all the time, but got out of the habit. Need to start using them again as they are sooooo versatile. The ornament is covered in crystal effects and I painted shimmerz over the polka dots and white portions of the decorative papers. Now you need to sit yourself down for this. I did not use Basic Grey papers on this card. nope. not a one. These pretty papers are by Daisy D's. But aren't they GORGEOUS?! Thought I would throw all of you for a loop today!! :) Have a good one!!!

House Mouse Challenge Candy Cane Dreams

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Cream

Here is my House Mouse Monday Challenge card, quite a bit later than Monday obviously! ;) The image is Candy Cane Dreams and comes courtesy of Dru - my new blogging friend who gifted me with some wonderful images the other day! Thank you so much, Dru! I love them all! I combined the image with some fun Basic Grey Wassail paper. I 'duded up' some of the stockings by adding either polka dots (with a gel pen) or stars (with a cutie pie punch from Michaels). I don't have any plain Jane stockings at my house and don't think mousie Amanda does either! grins! The great fuzzy ribbon is May Arts and comes from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. Sentiment, oval punch, snowflakes, & cardstock are from Stampin' Up! The card is a large 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" due to the image size.

Several of you have asked me how I color my House Mouse images. I typically use inks and a blender pen. I use several different shades of ink and blend them with the pen. For instance I will use (SU!) close to cocoa, chocolate chip, and creamy caramel and then blend those browns together to create a brown mouse or critter. I use sahara sand, basic grey and going grey for the grey critters. I hope that helps you some! Any more questions, just ask!