Cup of Columbine Birthday Greetings

Coffee/Tea of the Day - Tea Thyme (I see that it is currently out of stock. hopefully it will soon be back and ready for purchase. I am almost out myself!)

wow, I know that I have been gone for a very long time. so sorry about that. have lost a handfull of followers, and to those of you who have stayed the path, I am so very grateful and say thank you!!! :)

not only did we have the beautiful wedding, but a few days after that, a dear friend of ours passed away. she had only recently been diagnosed with ALS, so we are all still reeling that she is gone. the day of her funeral, our precious dog, Palmer, was hit by a car. thankfully he is doing okay now, but it's been a bit stressful needless to say.

as I am trying to sort through the supplies from one wedding, we are in the midst of preparing for the next one. :) and all the while the seizures still rage on. sigh.... was ever so thankful that they went on a temporary hiatus for the wedding so that I was able to attend and get what needed to be done, done.

but you are here for craftyness. so here you go! finally! I am hoping to get more done in the days and weeks to come. not sure if anyone ever took photos of the things I made for the wedding, but I do have a picture of the dinner invitation I can share later....

the card was made for my SIL's birthday. the beautiful cup of columbine flower digital image is by Power Poppy, digital papers are from several Prima collections, and sentiment is by SU!  butterfly die is from Cheery Lynn and main die is by Spellbinders. (I can no longer add either digital papers or Cheery Lynn to my post labels for some strange reason per Google. they are flagged and cause my pages to be blocked.)

seam binding is distressed with ink and is from Zipper Stop, twine is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and flowers are from the former Wild Orchid Crafts. not sure if and when the new owners are going to open the store, as the site has been saying it will be opening soon for quite a while now....

vintage lace & buttons as well as doily are from my stash. frantage powders have been added to the  main image and around edges. wink of stella glitter pen was added to the center of the butterfly die.

again, thank you to those of you who are still here! :) I will do my best to be back and share with you soon. have a most amazing day!
Jennifer

p.s. I will have more blog candy coming VERY soon!!!!

Challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner - 3+ layers
Everybody Art - anything goes
TTCRD - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - add some texture
Artistic Inspirations - anything goes
Crop Stop - anything goes w/doily option (Prima & Spellbinders sold in store)
Dream Valley - girlie
Whoopsi Daisy - anything goes in shades of purple
Always Happy Birthday - anything birthday themed goes
Daisy Chain - birthday

Happy Birthday Fly Guy

Featured at Little Red Wagon
Top 3 Pick at Sweet Stampin'
Top 3 Pick at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Tea Thyme

Today we celebrate our son, Mick's birthday. We were blessed this past weekend to be able to get together for a quick lunch with Mick and his girlfriend, Lauren, as well as Tyler and his fiancee, Danielle. Mick and Lauren came to Ohio for a tattoo convention and concert while Tyler and Danielle came into town to get their marriage license.  We were only able to spend a few hours together, but it was wonderful to see everyone. unfortunately, I ended it all by having a really bad seizure episode, but that is the way it goes these days. :( can't seem to kick these things.

this is the card that I made for Mick. I used the "Fly Guy" image from Power Poppy on the outside and the "Leaping Trout" image on the inside. I didn't get a photo of the inside of the card. sorry.

all dies are by Spellbinders, with distress stickles being added to the cat tails. vintage buttons are from my stash and wide grosgrain ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon. Happy Birthday stamp, linen thread, and little banner punch are by SU!  papers are from the Authentiqe Meadow collection. I am just about out of it and down to a few little scraps... will need to buy more of this wonderful paper! I obviously love it very much! :) little dots were added to the matting die cut with a white gel pen.

I will be back in another day or so to share my MIL's birthday card. her birthday was yesterday.

thank you so much for stopping by!
Jennifer

Challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking - birthday bash
Always Happy Birthday - anything Happy Birthday goes w/cake option
Crafter's Cafe - lots of layers
Dies R Us - birthdays (Spellbinders)
Crop Stop - anything goes w/products they carry (Authentique, distress stickles, Spellbinders)
Use Your Stuff - birthday
Dare 2B Artzy - birthdays
Inkspirational - birthday
Sweet Stampin' - occupations or hobbies
Brown Sugar - use 2 patterned papers
Moving Along with the Times - masculine
Little Red Wagon - lights, camera, action movie inspiration (A River Runs Through It)
The Male Room - fish/fishing
Colour Crazy week 28 - anything hand colored goes

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

Serene Still Life Spotlight Birthday

Top 3 Pick at Crafting With Dragonflies
Coffee/Tea of the Day - World Market Bourbon Pecan coffee

Hello, everyone! I hope your week has been off to a good start so far.

Please pop back by tomorrow as it's my birthday and we are going to celebrate with some blog candy! hooray! :)

Today's bit of crafty is a card using a technique I haven't done in years! if you haven't tried it before, it's actually quite fun and easy. Spotlighting a portion of your image can be done with either rubber stamps or digital images.

For my project today I am using one of the image from the beautiful "Graceful Still Life" digital set by Power Poppy.  don't forget that they have that great sale going on from now through the end of the month if you use the code COLORINGCHALLENGE at checkout. for more details, be sure to head to either their blog or store. no, I am not on commission, I just happen to think they have gorgeous images. ;) I am trying to improve my painting skills, so these challenge me to try to be better. as with everything in life, we have good days and bad. yesterday was most definitely a bad one. not only did I have horrid migraines and seizures that knocked me for a loop. but whatever I tried to paint ended up in the trash. thank goodness today is a new day with brand new blessings to unfold! :)

anyway, on to my card....

for the spotlight technique, you don't have to, but I did print out my digital image twice. this made it easier for me to line up the image after matting and coloring.

digital papers are from 3 different Prima collections: Almanac, Lucid, and Steel Toe Mary Jane. nothing like being all mixey matchey! :) flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts (just had notice pop in my email about a sale going on here, too! check it out!) and Dimco at Really Reasonable Ribbons. the polka dot ribbon and crochet trim are also from Really Reasonable Ribbons. vintage buttons are from my stash. sari ribbon smidgen is left over from making rehearsal dinner invitations. :) you will see those as the date approaches! :) btw - wedding invites have been mailed and are reaching nearby mailboxes. people are letting us know how excited they are! happy happy!!!!  all of the dies are by Spellbinders and my favorite little punch in the world, the banner punch, is from SU!

you can't tell from the photo, but I did stamp "Happy Birthday" on the inside, because this card is going to Ryan's fiancee. her birthday is next week, although they are currently in New York City with their youth group on a missions trip.

I think that does it for me. I have rambled long enough and y'all have been so very patient. :)

much love to all of you! see you back here tomorrow for birthday fun and a card if my mojo comes back after going on vaca as evident from yesterday. ha!

Challenges:
Power Poppy - round and round (spotlight, buttons, polka dots on ribbon & border paper)
Crafting With Dragonflies - ribbons and lace
TTCRD - anything goes
Hiding in My Craft Room - buttons and bows
Creative Craft Cottage - Eileen's anything goes w/purple option (as a cancer survivor I know how terrible this disease is. my prayers remain with her family & friends. I have added purple to my card in her honor. saw the challenge posted on my friend, Fiki's blog)
CCC Digi - Eileen's anything goes w/purple option (see above)
Morgan's Art World - anything goes
Sparkles - let's be pretty
Retarte - anything goes
Ribbon Girls - anything goes w/ribbon and summer option
30 Day Coloring Challenge - really trying my best to get a little done every day as long as my seizures allow

Hoppy Father's Day!

Coffee/Tea of the Day - World Market Fireside Rum coffee

Hoppy Father's Day to all of the dads, granddads, uncles, and father figures out there! :)

now I say 'hoppy' because my card today is inspired by all of the fabulous craft beer breweries around our wonderful world! Dave and I enjoy visiting them as we travel the country (or we did travel a bit before my health woes took over).  in the Cleveland area, which is near where we live, there are some amazing breweries, not to mention in the state of Ohio. I was never really a beer drinker, but have enjoyed trying some since some of the stouts have tastes similar to my beloved coffee. did you realize that? servers are always amazed that I am the one drinking the dark beer, while Dave gets the lighter ones. it's funny. :)

Power Poppy has this really fun "Hops and Barley"digital image which includes several neat sentiments that can be used for different occasions. they currently have a sale going on if you use the code COLORINGCHALLENGE.  I believe the sale goes through the end of the month and can be used multiple times. for more information, head to their store or blog.

I added the image twice, flipping one of them, and then inserting the Benjamin Franklin quote inside the space. I then fussy cut around the piece. the papers are from the Authentique Meadow collection. the brown gingham is one of my favorite go to papers right now. it's actually the flip side of their journal cards, but I just love the look, especially for masculine cards. :) I added texture paste over a Carta Bella stencil in the corner.

matting dies are by Spellbinders, seam binding is from Zipper Stop and was distressed with ink, vintage buttons are from my stash, and jute ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

the inside reads, "Hoppy Father's Day," which is one of the newest sentiments that was just added to this set in the past week. I didn't get a photo.

I apologize that my photo is so light. I am having a tough time with photo editing with my head all messed up due to the seizures. my eyes just don't seem to work properly. so very sorry. if you click on the photo, it will take you to a larger window where you can see everything in much better detail, and hopefully that will make it better. I will try to do a nicer job on future projects until I can get over these yucky things.

Have a most lovely day, and thank you for stopping by!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Allsorts - use at least 2 dies (both by Spellbinders)
Craftaholics R Us - kraft (card base and one of the matting pieces)
Digistamps 4 Joy - anything goes w/optional for the men in your life
Crafty Calendar - 3 of something (buttons)
Pile it On - holidays (Father's Day)
Catch the Bug - bingo: ribbon, die/punch, sentiment
Daisy Chain - for the boys/men
Simply Create Too - for a male
Aud Sentiments - anything goes w/a sentiment
Cardz 4 Guyz - Father's Day
Stinkin' Inkers - the guys have it
Try it on Tuesday - for the boys
Unicorn Ch - masculine
Daily Marker 30 coloring challenge - trying the best I can when my seizures allow

A Bee Skep Birthday

Featured Project at Little Red Wagon
Coffee/Tea of the Day - Salted Caramel coffee

It's the weekend! hooray! :) that would usually mean that hubby is home for the day, but he and Palmer are out at Camp meeting a delivery, so it's just Moon Pie and I here at home. the seizures haven't changed, but I so appreciate the kind comments and emails that so many have you have sent. :) thank you!

I apologize that it's taking me so long to post projects. the card I am sharing today took me about 3 days to complete. I can only craft for about 30 minutes before my wonky head gets too much for me to bear. but I'm thankful for the time I am able to spend in my craft room, no matter how short it is. :)

I created this birthday card for my SIL, although it will be a bit late getting to her. The beautiful bee skep and flower image is from Power Poppy. they have a great sale going on now if you use the code: COLORINGCHALLENGE . the sale is valid through the end of the month to my understanding and can be used multiple times. there are a few restrictions, so please check the store or their blog for more information.

the fun little journal cards are from a new to me store I found on Etsy called Arty Maze. wonderfully shabby goodies at a reasonable price that download and print out so nicely! why yes, thank you! :)

you can see that I used them on both the front and inside.

the background paper is made with sunburst yellow and grey brusho powders spritzed with pearl glimmer mist. the small flower stamp and birthday sentiment are from the SU! "Best Birds" set. iridescent texture paste was spread over a Studio Calico hexagon mask in the lower right hand corner of the card.

ribbons along the bottom of the card are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, while the lace and natural jute trim in the upper right hand corner are from my stash. vintage buttons are stash items as well. a wink of stella gel pen was used to accent the bees' wings. flower is from Michael's.

Enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow for Father's Day!
Jennifer

Challenges:
Always Happy Birthday - anything birthday w/summer birthday option
Crafts Galore Encore - anything goes
Creatalicious - anything goes w/optional flowers (on digi, bg paper, journaling card, & mulberry flower)
Scribbles Designs - anything goes
Colour Crazy - anything hand colored goes (watercolor brushes & SU! ink refills)
Craft Rocket - birthday
Little Red Wagon - too bee or not to bee
Crafty Gals Corner - summer colors
WAW - anything encouraging goes
Rubbernecker - birthday
DL Art - anything goes
Daily Marker 30 Day coloring challenge - trying as best I can when my seizures allow