Anniversary Bears on a Walk

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Toffee Nut Latte (Starbucks treat from hubby today!)

Hello! I hope all of you are doing well! 

I want to say thank you for the very kind comments and messages regarding my health and DIL. y'all are just the best! :) I have heard that many of you are dealing with health struggles in your families as well. know that I keep you in my prayers.

Today I am sharing an anniversary card I created for Ryan and Elizabeth. I once again used the fun Lily of the Valley simply prints available on Etsy. these cute bears are called Rosy and Cosy.  I cut out the bears twice and added some foam tape for extra dimension. the papers and flowers are from the new Carta Bella Flora collection. sentiment stamp is by SU! luscious purple silk ribbon and vintage buttons complete the card. simple, because I wanted to mail it with first class postage, so taking care to not add too many layers.

I am a huge fan of our postal service here in the States. they work so hard through all types of weather. I never have a problem when stamp prices increase, because these people deserve every penny. but hubby and I were taken aback when we mailed our grand-daughter's birthday card. I typically mail my cards in padded envelopes to give some extra protection to the layers and elements. it cost more than $5 to mail her card, even though it weighed less that 2 ounces. whoa nelly! that is almost double the price I used to pay. so I am trying to be cautious about what I send using the padded envelopes, not so much to avoid the postal service, but trying to be good stewards of our money. so from here on out I will save the fancy cards to go in larger packages that include other fun goodies. :) moms and grandmoms gotta spoil! :D

for the next few weeks, I will be sharing process photos of making the latest baby journal. Danielle has a baby shower at her parents' home several hours away over Mother's Day weekend. I would really like to be able to attend, so am working hard to get the journal finished by then. also hoping I feel well enough to go....

May you have an absolutely joyous weekend surrounded by the people who love you! :)

Jennifer

Happy 1st Birthday, Lyra!

 Coffee/Tea of the Day - Hazelnut Spice coffee

Hello to everyone!  :)

Please forgive my long absence. I have what is now being called 'long covid', having been sick since Christmas. thankfully the vaccinations and booster shots prevented me from being hospitalized or being any worse than it has been, but oh my goodness, I am so ready to be over this. ugh.  

anyhow, on to crafty stuff! :)

our first grand-daughter celebrated her one year birthday last weekend. oh my heart! she is such a delight! because we live so far away, plus with me being sick, we weren't able to go to her celebration, but we did have a fun video chat after her big party. she doesn't just walk, she RUNS everywhere! :D  

because I haven't been feeling well, my inking and coloring skills are at a minimum right now. along to the rescue came Lily of the Valley pre-colored digital images! they are called Simply Prints in the Etsy store. so many adorable designs to choose from. (P.S. they currently have a BIG sale, so now would be an excellent time to add some of these cuties to your stash!)

for this card, I used the Birthday Fairy simply print paired with some of the pretty designer paper from the Backing paper collection.  I also added a pastel pink gingham paper, I think from either Carta Bella or Echo Park. it was a piece in my stash that no longer had the markings.  .A Wink of Stella glitter pen was brushed over the fairy wings, wand, antennae, and package bow. gotta have some sparkle! :) The image was cut with a Spellbinders die, pale pink seam binding and bright pink floral trim are topped with a flower from Wild Orchid Crafts. a small pink ticket butterfly & cupcake ephemera, and vintage buttons complete the card. 

I am trying to finish Easter cards so they can be mailed out tomorrow. I'll be back next week to show you those.

I truly hope all of you are well. I have missed sharing with you on my blog, but really am going to do better posting. I plan to start work on a baby journal for our newest grand-daughter, due the end of August! :)  I'll share the process of creating that, as I take a VERY long time to make a junk journal. 

much love to each of you! 

Jennifer 

Just Chillin' Little Fairy

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Orange Ginger tea

We are slowly getting closer to the weekend... do you have any fun plans?

one of our favorite groups is out at Camp right now, so Dave is working the long week. It's a group called Camp Sue Osborn and it's for anyone with special needs. Last week was for the Alumni - those who have graduated from the program. this week if for anyone up to 18 years old, I believe.  they stay through Saturday rather than leaving on Friday when most of the camps usually depart. head over to the website to not only see photos of Camp, but have your heart brightened. :) these are some amazing people, flat out. the campers are amazing, but the staff are some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. :) I love those folks with everything I have. it tears me up that I can't be out there right now. yucky seizures. blech blech blech. but really. go to the website.

now on to my project for the day...

I know I promised to share the card I made for my MIL, but I am sneaking this one in instead. I think I am sending it to Danielle, Tyler's fiancee. the wedding is coming up very soon, and I think she needs a reminder to just chill a bit. :) pre-wedding jitters can be a bit un-nerving, can't they?

the adorable fairy image and sentiment are from LOTV, green digital paper is from the Prima Strawberry Kisses collection, and chevron stripe digital paper is from the American Freedom free collection by Raspberry Road Designs.  main die is by Spellbinders, banner die is by SU!, and floral die in the upper corner is by Sizzix.

lace, washi tape, vintage buttons, and ticket are all from my stash. purple twine and green satin ribbon are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. the UK store is closed right now, but you can buy their products from RRR and other retailers. I added a faux stitching border with a white gel pen and also some splatters with white Mr. Huey's spray.

sparkles & shine were added to the fairy's wings with a wink of stella glitter pen and to her bobbers with a pink spica glitter pen.

btw, spending time with everyone at Camp Sue is what inspired our son, Ryan, to work with children on the autism spectrum at Hope Bridge. he loves it there. :)
and almost all of the Camp Sue staff will be attending Tyler and Danielle's wedding, so it will be great to see them then!

I hope you have a most wonderful day! thanks for stopping by! :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
Digistamps 4 Joy - anything goes summer or winter
Crafting by Designs - anything goes
Crafty Creations - anything goes
Scrappy Land - anything goes w/die carried in their store (Sizziz and Spellbinders)
Simon Says Stamp Wed - use a die or punch (dies by Sizzix, SU!, and Spellbinders)
Crafty Sentiments - add a sentiment
TTCRD - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - stitching, real or faux
Unicorn Ch - stitching, real or faux
Crafteezee - summer
Cutie Pie - bingo: buttons, ribbon, die cut, but also added bow, glitter, and flowers :)
Incy Wincy - tic tac toe: stripes/checks (subtle chevron stripes on the banner paper, but it's a bit hard to see. feel free to enlarge the piccy), splatter, stitching
Coloring in Scrapland - fairies
Scribbles Designs - fun in the sun
Fabrika Fantasy - summer
Daisy Chain - summer
Dragonfly Journeys - summer lovin'
Make My Monday - fantasy
Sparkles - fairies

Strawberries and Cream Fairy and new Birthday Blog Candy Winner

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Salted Caramel coffee

Hello and Happy Monday once again! :)

I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend! We had a surprise visit from Ryan and his fiancee, Elizabeth, who arrived here Thursday evening. They came to rescue a beautiful Australian Cattle dog puppy that they have named Lady Sybil after the character on Downton Abbey. she is such a treasure! They are calling her Sibby for short. of course she and Palmer became fast friends and played together all weekend. :) it was sad for the two of them when everyone had to leave, but Lady Sybil has a glorious new life ahead of her!!!

so of course you can understand why I have not been on the computer for a few days. ;) Moon Pie came out of hiding a few times to say hello to Sibby, but would quickly retreat to  his library nook (a hidey hole he has created in my book cabinet).

Today's crafty share is a card I made to say thank you to our lovely neighbors who gifted me some fresh picked strawberries from a local farm. wasn't that so nice of them?! :) The boys and I used to go pick strawberries from the very same farm that our neighbor and her daughters went to, so it was a bit nostalgic to be on the receiving end. and oh my goodness, did they ever taste wonderful in salads that week!

digital paper is from the Prima Straberry Kisses collection, adorable fairy image and sentiment are from LOTV, and small strawberry image in corner is from Power Poppy. the cream portion was covered in liquid applique that went a bit haywire when heated!

matting die is by Spellbinders and is edged in acrylic paint to distress. ivy flourish die is by Cheery Lynn. little red and white flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts and the main flower is from Really Really Reasonable Ribbon, as are the ribbons. vintage buttons are from my stash.

I also have a new birthday blog candy winner to announce. I didn't hear back from one of the prize winners, so the 2nd place prize will go to:

12. Alicia O'Bryant

Everyone have a great week!

Challenges:
Dragonfly Dreams - summer (strawberry picking is a summer tradition around here)
Corrosive - anything goes
Crafty Calendar - totally girly
2 Sisters on the Blog - fruit
Colour Crazy - anything hand colored goes
Crafty Catz - anything goes w/summer fun option (strawberry picking is a summer tradition around here)
Creative Fingers - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - anything goes
Creative Moments - anything goes

A Squirrely Thanks

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Lemon Basil tea

Happy Monday! I bet you don't hear that very often. grins! but we have to find something good about every day, and I choose to rejoice in the fact that I woke up this morning to the sound of birds chirping their beautiful songs. :) I have a happy and content cat sleeping on the sill of the front window where he can keep an eye on all of the critters in  the front yard when he wakes up, a dog who finds joy in every little thing from a stick in the driveway to the squeaky unicorn toy that drives hubby up the wall, and a family that texts me every day with the stories of their lives. blessings? oh yes! I have them in abundance!!! so it IS a happy Monday! :)  not easy, but happy.

 so I am sharing with all of you a card I made to say thank you to a group of amazing people who came out to Camp for a service project. about 70 people arrived several weeks ago to help transform Camp through painting, cleaning, and various fix-it projects. I don't have any photos to share, but what they did is amazing. I want to make them several thank you cards, but this is the first. I work so slow these days, and my list of cards to make is so very long....

The adorable squirrel thank you image is from LOTV, papers from my Authentique Meadow collection, grass die by My Favorite Things, and felt cut with a die by La La Land. I added a twig from outside to use as a fun bit of whimsy. all other items are from my stash. there is a little sparkle on the card with touches from a wink of stella clear glitter pen.

For my birthday blog candy winners, please check this post. congratulations to the winners! I'll have more candy later this fall. in fact, I have blog candy planned all the way through Valentine's Day! :)

Have a wonderful week! I'll see you back again in a few days with another project. :)
Jennifer

Challenges:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/an animal
Crafty Animals - anything goes w/an animal
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Love to Craft - anything goes
Sweet Stampers - animals
Angie's - anything goes
Alphabet Ch - 'G' is for Great Outdoors
CRAFT - thank you
Sunny Day - any animal
Ching-Chou Kuik - thank you/sympathy

Tea - A Hug in a Cup

Winner at Get Creative
Top 3 at Through the Craft Room Door
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Hey there! I just realized that on the days I have been featuring coffee cards, I have been drinking tea, and now that I am sharing a tea card, I have had coffee. I am sure mixed up, aren't I?! :) does it help if I say that hubby and I had ginger plum tea from Panera for lunch? grins! I tried getting out of the house for a bit today, and sadly it didn't go well. but it was ever so lovely to spend time with him and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. :) too bad the icky seizures had to pop up and say howdy. but that is life right now.... sigh.....

on to my card -
I have another one to share for the Spring/Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop. this time with a tea theme, as I mentioned above. I do love my tea. hot or cold, it doesn't matter to me.

the adorable image is from LOTV and the sentiment is from Create with TLC.  papers are actually from a Valentine collection - Authentique Crush, but I adore the florals and pretty pink stripe. if you notice, almost everything I made has pink on it somewhere. ;)  flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, dies are by Spellbinders, and vintage buttons from my stash. lace, trim, and twine are stash items as well. some faux stitching was added to the base dsp.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a most wonderful day!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Digi Choosday - #22 anything goes
Lemon Shortbread - #68 anything goes
Retarte - #122 anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Artistic Inspirations - anything goes
My Creative Scoop Color Inspirations - anything hand colored goes (watercolor brushes and SU! ink refills)
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes
Get Creative - lots of flowers
Corrosive Challenge - anything goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - anything goes w/optional twist for Mom (sorry, my mom isn't around any longer, so this is going to my bestest friend. she is my tea buddy!)

I Want to Go On Adventures With You

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Reiki (delightful fruit and floral tea blend)

Happy Thursday to all of you! Our day began with a beautiful cleansing rain and now the sun is peeking its head through the clouds. the air is clear and fresh, the grass has the most lovely aroma & little drops on the blades, and the birds are singing their songs. oh, what a wonderful day it is turning out to be! :)

Last year I took time away from my crafting to pursue some travel time with hubby as well as some amazing experiences in activism. 2 weddings in the next year put a bit of a crimp in that, and not that I mind one bit, but I do have the most treasured memories of the trips Dave and I took. Palmer, our beloved rescue pup, went on quite a few of those adventures with us. :)

I had that in mind when I made this card....
Dave is not just my other half, he completes me. he is my better portion. he makes me want to be better, and in turn makes me better. to say he is my best friend would be such an understatement. he is the very air I breathe. and I fail to tell him so more times than not.

it's a fairly simple card, but it packs a lot of love into it. :)

I used some of the paper scraps from the Carta Bella Cowboy Country paper collection that I had on my craft desk from the card I had made the other day. always nice to use up some scraps! ribbons come from Really Reasonable Ribbon, vintage buttons are from my stash, and that fabulous sentiment is cut apart from the wonderful 'Adventures' stamp by Rubbernecker. the cutey image is from LOTV and features a quirky girl riding along with her pup. I added crystal effects to the bike's headlight. beautiful die is by Spellbinders.

off to my craft room. lots of cards that need to get made and have to work this weekend. love to all of you!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Rubbernecker Stamps - Best Friends
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Crafty Creations - anything goes
DL Art - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes w/patterned paper
Creatalicious - anything goes w/optional sentiment
Sweet Stampers - too cute
Creative Crafters - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Hand Stamped Sentiments - inspiration photo: bike and flowers which are used in the bg paper (my image is painted with all SU! inks and main image base is SU! whisper white. card base is crumb cake.)

Take It Easy, Little Bunny

Top Pick at Tuesday Throwdown

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Lemon Basil Tea

Hello, everyone! :)

to start, since I have gone back to drinking so much tea again, I am changing my coffee of the day to a coffee/tea combination. If I am drinking one of the blends from our favorite tea shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Tea Haus, I will be sure to link it so that you can check it out. :)  I place an order at least once a month to get their monthly special, but 'might' just pick up a few other yummy flavors either when we go up to visit Mick and Lauren or place another order when I run low or the mood strikes. they really do have the most delightful blends of tea and are super nice as well. no, I am not a paid employee nor am I an affiliate.  just a very happy customer!

now, on to my craft project for the day....

one of my crafty international friends put out a call for cards for both her daughter and her husband - her daughter has an upcoming birthday, but her husband has surgery soon and is worried about it. I thought it would be nice to send him a card when I send a birthday card. guys don't always get cards since people tend to think it's tough to make cards for them. well, with my house being ALL guys, that used to be the only kind I made!

so Fiki, this one is for Mario! and she filled me in on a special challenge that another crafter has going on now to make bunny cards, so I used this adorable little get well rabbit image & sentiment from LOTV.

papers are from the Basic Grey B Side collection, ribbon and twine are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, vintage buttons & ticket are from my stash, and woodgrain piece behind main image is a piece of packaging from Webster's Pages that I had saved. a few dots of Viva Decor Pearl pen accent the sentiment banner.

now to get busy making the birthday card for Fiki's daughter. :)

Challenges:
Crafty Nomad bunny hop
Pause Dream Enjoy - lots of layers
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/a critter
A Perfect Time to Craft - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - critter crazy

Follow Your Dreams... to Delaware! :)

First Place Winner at Rubbernecker
Winner at C.R.A.F.T. Challenge

Coffee of the Day - it's tea! Victorian Earl Grey (Earl Grey with roses, lavender, & rosemary)

More big news here at our home - our oldest has moved to the East Coast and now lives in Delaware! these last few weeks have been a whirlwind with him getting a job (working in a lab there), finding an apartment, and then moving. David went with him to find a place, and then I helped with the actual move last week. whew.... now for the wedding in September and to get Danielle a job and moved in. hard to believe that we won't see him again until just days before the wedding. if I think about it too much I will start crying, but then that's the ol' empty nest for ya. all of our sons are now in other states. hard to wrap my head around. and my heart.

but enough of the sappy sad stuff. you are here for crafty stuff. ;) so I will show you the card I made and tucked into one of his packing boxes. it took him a few days to find it, which added to the adventure!

I used this adorable "Moving Day" image from LOTV and some of my precious Basic Grey South Pacific paper. The sentiment is also LOTV and comes from one of their cute Odd Dog sets. (I had purchased the bundle last month when they had a big sale, so I apologize that I don't have the specific set marked.)

all 3 of the dies are from Spellbinders, little banner punch is from SU!, vintage buttons are from my stash, and cardboard was inked with white craft. ticket is also a stash item, and we can't forget the denim belt loop! :)  distressed seam binding snippet was sitting on my craft desk and actually matches better irl than photo shows. little white gel dots across the top of the card finish everything off in a fun way. :)

now to adjust to that dratted ol' empty nest.... this Momma Bird is having a tough time. sigh......

Challenges:
CRAFT - new (home)
Crafting with an Attitude - anything goes
Creative Knockouts - buttons, buttons
Crafty Gals Corner - buttons
Crafty Addicts - anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - only for boys
Rubbernecker - recycle: cardboard, denim belt loop, vintage buttons, old ticket, seam binding scrap
Dream Valley - at least 2 buttons

A Day Full of Sunshine

Coffee of the Day - Bourbon Pecan

Today I am sharing a card made for a very special blog hop - Stamping For Autism Awareness Blog Hop.  Our youngest son, Ryan, works for a fabulous place called Hope Bridge. it is a therapy center for children on the autism spectrum. He absolutely loves working there. I am making cards to send to him to give to the children there. I hope to get several made this week. hopefully I can get one made for the staff as well to say thank you for all they do! :)

I wanted to use shades of blue on my card because royal blue is the official color for autism awareness. I pulled out my brusho powders, which are a new to me crafting tool. I used cobalt blue and grey on watercolor paper. rather than using just water, I also sprayed the paper with pearl glimmer mist for a nice bit of sparkle. (I do this with my gelatos, too.)

That adorable little puppy is from LOTV. isn't he precious? when visiting blogs over the weekend, I saw several cards with paper cut at an angle and was inspired to try the same. it adds a fun design element!

of course I had to give the card my own little shabby spin, so there is a bit of ink distressing as well as some re-purposed treasures. I added a row of painted white dots across the top. the sun die is by La La Land. sentiment stamp is from SU!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope to have more cards for this wonderful blog hop later in the week. :)
Jennifer

editing to add link for another card made for blog hop:
You Are Amazing


Challenges:
Get Creative - no patterned paper
Dragonfly Journeys - baker's twine

Li'l Patch of Crafty Friends - anything goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
House That Stamps Built - anything goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything goes w/a critter